Sri Lanka will restrict fuel imports for the next 12 months as it is facing a severe shortage of foreign exchange, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera has said whi෴le announcing a rationing system for the distribution of fuel across the crisis-hit island nation.
Sri Lanka, a country of 22 million people, is under the grip of an unpre▨cedented economic turmoil, leaving millions strꦆuggling to buy food, medicine, fuel and other essentials.
The severe foreign exchange shortage ꩵhas hampered the import of fuel and other essentials in the country reeling under the worst economic crisis in seven decades.
Taking to Twitter on Monday, Wijesekera said a QR system has been in💝troduced as the daily fuel demand cannot b🧸e fulfilled.
“QR🌱 system was introduced since the daily fuel demand cannot be fulfilled. D🍷ue to Forex issues, Fuel imports have to be restricted in the next 12 months,” he said.
“Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has never distr💖ibuted Fuel daily to Every single Fuel Station. Practically not possible even when stocks are unlimited,” he said.
With the government hard pressed to pay for fuel imports due to the severe forex crisis, it introduced a fuel pass scheme on Saturday where the issues would be rationed under aꦅ limi𒁃ted weekly quantity.
Since June✱ 27 the government has stopped fuel supplies and restricted essential services. In a series of tweets, the minister explained the implementation of the Nati♐onal Fuel Pass.
“The National Fuel License (QR) will be implemented from July 26 at several CEYPETCO and the L💖ankan Indian Oil Company (LIOC) petrol stations across the country. This system will be in effect until August 1 with the last digits of the num💜ber plate,” he said.
Filling stations not equipped or having technical difficulties will follow the last digit system and fuel quota allocation until the tech♊nical issues are rectified, he said, adding that 60 per cent of the locations had already been equipped and tested and will be given a priority ��in fuel distribution.
“All petrol station owners of CEYPETCO and LIOC are requested to adopt QR system immediately and distribution will be strictly enforced to fuel stations with the QR facilities by 1st of August. We request the public to register with National♒ Fuel Pass and support the initiative,” he said.
“Options will 🌳be given to users to register multiple vehicles with their business registration by the end of the week and to Government institutes to register. Divisional secreౠtaries will be given access to the platform to register generators, gardening equipment and other equipment,” he said.
Wijesekera said the police department and divisional secretaries w🍸ill be given access to register three-wheelers, allocating each three-wheeler🐻 to one specific fuel station.
“Other services such as Health, Agriculture, Fisheries, Tourism, Industries and service providing sectors will be given access to the system to register their requirements and allocation of vehicles at fuel stations,𒉰” he said.
“From the 1st of August only the QR system quota will be in place and the last digit of the number plate system and other allocations will be invalid. National Youth Corp and National Youth Counc෴il members and▨ volunteers will assist the program at fuel stations for the next 10 days,” the minister said.
In crisis-hit Sri𒈔 Lanka, many incidents of violence have been reported at fuel queues and nearly 20 people have died of exhaustion after spending several days continuously in theও fuel queues.
Since the beginning of this year, Sri Lanka relied on an Indian line of credit to fund fuel purchases. Sri Lanka, which relied on an Indian credit line for fuel imports till February, has now exhausted the facility. The last fuel shipment under the Indian Credit Line arrived on Ju𝓰ne 16.
Sri Lanka's fuel and energy sectors are the worst hit by the forex shortages triggered by the unprece📖dented economic crisis.
The government declared bankruptcy🎶 in mid-April by refusing to honour its international debt. The🌼 situation created a thriving black market where people paid to secure a place in the queue and fuel was sold 4 times higher than the legal retail price.
Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was f🎃orced out of power lasꦡt week due to his poor handling of the economy.
