Govt. implements token system for fuel distribution

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya  

The government has decided to implement a token system dedicated for filling stations to supply fuel for those waiting in queues to obtain petrol and diesel, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said.  He said the programme will come into effect from Monday (27) and the assistance of Sri Lanka Police and Sri Lanka Army will be obtained to ensure the process is carried out smoothly.   

He said motorists will be informed via phone when their turn is ready.  

The Minister said the exact date of the arrival of the next fuel shipment can not be revealed at the moment.  
He said four separate groups from the Ministry are working on fuel imports.  
Meanwhile, Wijesekera said that two ministers are scheduled to travel to Russia tomorrow to discuss fuel imports from Russia and other related matters.  
The minister said the CPC has only 9,000 metric tonnes of diesel and around 5,500 metric tonnes of petrol including Octane 95.   He said they will purchase 10,000 metric tonnes of diesel from the LIOC on Monday.  “We asked Lanka IOC to increase fuel supply and to purchase diesel from them to CEYPETCO. But they asked for a price revision before that according to the formula. That’s why we revised the price in a situation where there is no fuel in the country,” the minister said.  

The Minister said the next 12 months will be a challenging period of Sri Lanka in terms of fuel delivery, adding that it may or may be not possible to completely eliminate the fuel queues.  

He said that bunker suppliers have been granted permission to deliver fuel for industries that deal in US currency established in Sri Lanka.