The Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera stated in Parliament today that it is not possible to issue stocks of petrol from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation until this afternoon.
The Minister said that people had been asked not to wait in queues as there was no petrol but people in many parts of the country were still queuing up yesterday to get petrol. He further states that people do not listen to their requests not to wait in queues.
People wait in line for hours, sometimes days, to buy essential items, including petrol, diesel, kerosene, and gas. They are queuing up in the hope that fuel and gas will arrive at any moment.
Instead of taking the necessary steps to resolve the fuel issue, there is no use of a Minister who announces the arrival of fuel at stations or to announce people not to queue for fuel. It is enough for the Petroleum Corporation or the Ministry to have a media spokesperson to carry out that task.
A Minister has been appointed to the Ministry of Power and Energy in a rush as it is an urgent and mandatory task. Therefore, the Minister of Power and Energy should understand that his role is to move away from the role of a media spokesperson who issues announcements and instead provides relief to the people by resolving the fuel crisis.
