23 October 2019 12:01 am
By Chaturanga Samarawickrama
There is a countrywide shortage of domestic gas because of the recent drone attack on Saudi oil facilities and the reduction in the price of gas, a senior official of the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) said.
He said the shortage of gas in the local market would continue for at least another week.
The official said most of the liquid gas arrives from Saudi Arabia but after the recent drone attack on Saudi oil facilities the shipments to Sri Lanka had been delayed.
He said the Industry Commerce Ministry reduced the price of a 12.5 kg cylinder of domestic gas by Rs.240 midnight on October 4.
“The price reduction has led to people using more gas for their day-to-day household activities with more stocks having to be released to the market,” the official said adding that a shipment of liquid gas was on the way to Sri Lanka but would take at least a week to arrive.
Meanwhile, the National Movement for Consumer Rights Protection (NMCRP) Chairman Ranjith Withanage said an artificial shortage had been created by domestic gas sellers because of the sudden reduction in the gas price.
He requested the CAA to take legal action against errant shop owners who were not releasing stocks to the market.