Only buses, trains, and vehicles used for medical services and transporting food will be allowed to fill up with fuel..
AMN
The Sri Lankan government has announced that only essential services will operate from midnight till July 10 and all other operations will be temporarily suspended as the crisis-hit nation faces acute fuel shortage.
The move came days after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on Wednesday last said that the debt-laden economy of the island nation has “collapsed” after months of shortages of food, fuel and electricity, and cannot even purchase imported oil.
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet of Minister decided that only essential services will operate from Monday midnight to July 10, newsfirst.lk web portal reported.
The state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) will issue diesel and petrol only for essential services with effect from midnight, it said.
Sri Lanka is sending two government ministers to Russia to negotiate for fuel supply.The plan comes as Washington and its allies aim to cut off energy imports from Russia in line with sanctions over its war against Ukraine.
Since February, global oil prices have skyrocketed, prompting a number of countries to seek out Russian crude being offered at steep discounts.
Residents have had to queue for hours and sometimes days to get fuel, sometimes resorting to burning charcoal or palm fronds for cooking.