Urgent meeting summoned as Sri Lanka looks down the barrel

By Easwaran Rutnam

An urgent meeting has been called for this evening (Tuesday) to discuss the energy crisis as Sri Lanka looks down the barrel with fuel stocks running out and daily power cuts being enforced.

A senior Cabinet Minister told Daily Mirror last night that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has summoned an urgent meeting this evening to discuss the energy crisis.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 5pm this evening at the Presidential Secretariat.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the Cabinet Minister said that Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal has also been asked to attend the meeting together with senior bank officials.

?This is not a special Cabinet meeting but a special meeting being held to discuss the crisis,? the Cabinet Minister said.

The meeting was called for following the weekly Cabinet meeting held last evening.
As was reported in the Daily Mirror yesterday, the situation with the fuel stocks in the country is looking grim with the subject Minister warning that there is a lack of funds to purchase fuel to meet the demand.

Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila had told Daily Mirror that fuel is being distributed to fuel sheds in limited supply.

Some petrol stations had already begun rationing fuel yesterday while others ran out of fuel.

Gammanpila had said earlier that that there are three ships with fuel berthed outside the Colombo Port.

However, the Minister said that the government has funds to pay for fuel on only one ship.
He said that funds have been released to unload petrol on one ship but not for diesel on a second ship and fuel on the third ship.

Gammanpila said that the government does not have sufficient US Dollars to pay for fuel.
As a result, Sri Lanka risks running out of fuel in the near future. (Courtesy Daily Mirror)