Jaffna fuel shortage, critical- GA

[TamilNet, Sunday, 04 June 2006, 13:03 GMT]
Sri Lanka Government's gazetted embargo on fuel to the Jaffna peninsula will lead to crippling of agriculture and fishing industry in the very near future, administrative officials in Jaffna Secretariat said. Transport within Jaffna district and travel to and from Jaffna also will be severely affected by the embargo, sources added.

"We urgently need 99,000 litres of kerosine for domestic use by the district residents. In addition transport sector and other electric generators require 333,000 litres of diesel and 33,000 litres of petrol daily," K. Ganesh, Government Agent (GA) of Jaffna said.

Mr. Ganesh said that he has intimated the impending shortage and the criticality of the situation to the higher-level officials responsible for authorizing fuel distribution, and warned that if immediate action is not taken the district the shortage will be catastrophic to daily life and the industry within the peninsula.

Local residents are receiving rationed kerosine of one or two litres per family from the multi-purpose co-operative societies.

With the State run diesel-powered electricity generating station in Chunnakam, and State, private busses consuming most of the limited amount of fuel allowed through the Omanthai checkpoint, private vehicles are forced to lie idle near gas stations waiting for fuel, officials in the Secretariat said.

Although the Sri Lanka Government has indicated that the embargo will be removed, the no changes have been made to allow additional fuel transport situation in the last two months, and the situation remains critical, officials added.