Sri Lanka to impose weekly fuel quotas for motorists

COLOMBO • Crisis-hit Sri Lanka announced weekly fuel quotas for motorists yesterday, as an acute shortage worsened and longer queues formed outside the few pumping stations still operating.

Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corp was struggling to finance oil imports, while consumption had shot up owing to shortages of electricity and liquefied petroleum gas.

"We have no choice but to register consumers at filling stations and give them a guaranteed weekly quota until we are able to strengthen the financial situation," the minister said.

"I hope to have this system in place by the first week of July," he said, but did not give details about how much fuel motorists will be allowed to buy under the new system.

In mid-April, the government ordered all fuel stations not to pump more than four litres of petrol for a motorcycle, five litres for a three-wheeler and 19.5 litres of petrol or diesel for cars and sport utility vehicles.

Under that system, many motorists would top up, drain fuel into cans to build a buffer stock, and then return to the queue for more.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said in an interview with Associated Press on Saturday that Sri Lanka may be compelled to buy more oil from Russia.

He said he would first look to other sources, but would be open to buying more crude from Moscow.

Sri Lanka was also trying to get oil and coal from its traditional suppliers in the Middle East.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS