Sri Lanka introduces fuel rationing in view of economic crisis

Colomba [Sri Lanka], April 15 (ANI): In midst of the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka which has led to a shortage of essential commodities, the country has introduced fuel rationing for most categories of non-commercial vehicles starting Friday, local media reported.

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) announced the restrictions on issuing fuel for various categories of vehicles starting at 1:00 pm on Friday (today). Fuel will only be issued for LKR 1000 for Motorcycles, LKR 1,500 for three-wheelers, and LKR 5,000 for Cars, Vans, and Jeeps, Daily Mirror reported.

CPC Chairman Sumith Wijesinghe informed that the new regulations do not apply to Buses, Lorries, and Commercial vehicles.

Earlier, CPC had requested people to purchase only the required quantity of fuel as sufficient stocks of fuel have been supplied to filling stations, according to Colombo Page. Sri Lanka’s economy has been in a free-fall since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to the crash of the tourism sector.

Sri Lanka is also facing a foreign exchange shortage, which has affected its capacity to import food and fuel. The shortage of essential goods has forced Sri Lanka to seek assistance from friendly countries.
India had earlier provided Sri Lanka with a USD 500 million Line of Credit for fuel purchases which are expected to exhaust soon (ANI)