Private bus union bosses demand more diesel

By Akitha Perera

General Secretary of the All Ceylon Private Bus Owners’ Association Anjana Priyanjith yesterday said that they had commenced a strike from midnight of 04 August over the inadequate supply of diesel.He said that buses only received 40 litres a week through the QR system and that it was not at all sufficient to ensure an uninterrupted service.Meanwhile, Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) President, Gemunu Wijeratne also said that the fuel quota was not enough.

“We are not striking. However, there is no need to strike because most private buses are non-operational. Most buses don’t get diesel and cannot ply. The entire bus industry has collapsed,” he said.

Wijeratne said that Minister of Transport, Bandula Gunawardane and Minister of Power and Energy, Kanchana Wijesekera were silent on the problems faced by the private bus industry. Sri Lanka used to consume about 5,500 tonnes of diesel a day before the fuel crisis. Most of it used for transport and power generation.