News
Fuel: Precious cargo changing hands for prices quoted at will
View(s):By S Rubatheesan
It was last Sunday at a vehicle service centre in the Jaffna city area where only two motorbikes were being serviced. On a busy day before the fuel crisis hit, one had to make a reservation before taking a vehicle to the centre. Those days are gone.
Now, the place has become a hotspot where dodgy dealers of fuel and buyers meet as the demand is heavy. Within an hour, one of the employees in the centre fixed the deal by purchasing 10 litres of petrol at Rs 4,000 and then selling it at Rs 5,000 using his mobile phone.
A fuel queue in Vavuniya. Pix by Romesh Madusanka
For some, this has become a full-time job as well. A Hiace van driver told the Sunday Times on the condition of anonymity, that since two-way Jaffna-Colombo transport services surpassed Rs 140,000, he no longer gets any work. “This is how I support myself these days,” he said.
Like in Jaffna, where the fuel supplies are only meant for essential staff, the underground market is thriving across the country.
Dharshana Ekanayake, a three-wheel driver at a queue in a fuel station in Kollupitiya for the last four days wondered how long the scarcity would last.
“I have been sleeping inside the trishaw for the past four days. We could not eat or drink properly for days. Worst of all, we are unable to go back to our homes in villages,” Mr Ekanayake told the Sunday Times.
In recent weeks, various social media groups and messaging apps have formed to keep members informed of the availability of fuel.
One such group on Facebook has over 425,000 active members with users sharing over 1,000 posts daily about the fuel distribution schedule in addition to safety tips and first aid advice on how to assist when someone faints or experiences a heart attack.
The police continue to be on the lookout for those hoarding fuel.
Earlier this month, Kilinochchi police seized 6,600 litres of diesel at a house, while another stock of 800 litres of diesel and 950 litres of kerosene was recovered. Suspects were produced in court.
In a separate incident in the district, 3,600 litres of kerosene seized at a house could have been smuggled into the country via India, police suspect following initial investigations.
However, an attempt by the police to seize three barrels of diesel from a large-scale farmer in Kilinochchi met with protests from local farmers who are eyeing the Maha harvest.
In their testimony before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) this week, senior officials from Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB) also raised the issue of the underground market for fuel. SLTB depots provide fuel to private buses through their filling stations. Some private buses that fill up then sell it at a higher price on the grey market, as it is cheaper for private bus owners to sell the diesel at high prices than to run buses.
The committee recommended a Global Positioning System be put in place immediately to determine whether private buses pumping fuel from depot filling stations are involved in public transport.
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