Five CEYPETCO officials to oversee ministries; QR fuel system for key sectors

A committee chaired by Minister Bimal Rathnayake has decided to appoint five Ceylon Petroleum Corporation officials to handle fuel-related issues across all ministries and help prevent supply shortages and price increases ahead of the Sinhala and Hindu New Year.

The decision was taken at a meeting of the committee appointed to oversee the distribution of essential goods, held yesterday (March 27), at the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo.

During the discussion, it was agreed that the five officials from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CEYPETCO) will be assigned to cover all ministries. Their role will be to look into fuel-related problems in institutions under each ministry and coordinate with the Corporation to provide the necessary solutions.

The committee also paid special attention to concerns raised by industrialists, who have said that the current fuel quota given to vehicles used to distribute their products across the country is not enough. It was noted that if these issues are not addressed, goods prices could rise and place a heavy burden on the public during the festive season.

Fuel supply for the distribution of essential food items by both state and private sector institutions was also discussed. This included supermarkets such as Sathosa, wholesale importers, tourism-related service providers, hotels and other service organisations.

It was agreed that requests for fuel quotas submitted by these institutions should be reviewed carefully and that quick action should be taken when needed. Such requests are to be sent to the Ministry of Energy through the relevant ministries.

The committee also discussed the need to quickly introduce a QR code system for issuing fuel to other sectors, including agriculture and fisheries. Under this system, fuel would be issued based on letters provided on the recommendations of relevant government officials, including agricultural research officers, instead of the previous direct allocation method.

Minister Bimal Rathnayake stressed the importance of maintaining a continuous and well-managed fuel supply. He said this is necessary to ensure the public receives goods without shortages and to prevent unreasonable price increases during the upcoming Sinhala and Hindu New Year season.

The meeting was attended by several government officials, including Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe, Deputy Minister of Energy Arkam Ilyas, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Janaka Bandara, and Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation D. J. Rajakaruna.

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