CPC leaves shed owners in limbo

Gas station owners had paid the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) over Rs. 60 billion for fuel in advance, Joint Secretary Sri Lanka Petroleum Private Tanker Owners’ Association (SLPPTOA), D.V. Shantha Silva, said yesterday.

However, the CPC was not issuing fuel on time, and that had led to vehicle queues near gas stations, Silva said. “The CPC had 60 billion of our money, but is not sending fuel.”

Gas station owners pay the CPC through banks and sometimes they take loans to make the payment, Silva said.

“At this rate we will not be able to maintain gas stations. The CPC still does not have a proper mechanism to distribute fuel. For example, it don’t know how much fuel farmers want; it does not know how much fuel is needed in various agricultural areas. Soon the farmers will take to the streets again”, Silva said, noting that the government was creating issues to distract people.