Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake says that issues faced by the public in obtaining QR codes for fuel will be addressed within today (19), and are expected to be fully resolved by tomorrow (20).
Responding to a question in Parliament, the Minister noted that fuel consumption in some districts has risen to nearly double the usual levels.
He further explained that difficulties in obtaining QR codes have mainly affected individuals who own older vehicles but use new phone numbers, as well as those with new vehicles linked to old phone numbers. He assured that these issues would be resolved within the day.
However, the Minister pointed out that no such issues have been reported among individuals using both old vehicles with old phone numbers or new vehicles with new phone numbers.
According to the Minister, around 7 million individuals registered under the QR system in 2023, and this number is expected to rise to approximately 7.2 million this year. Currently, about 5.5 million users have registered so far under the system.
He also revealed that approximately 2.7 million outdated records in the previous database were removed over a period of two days.
Minister Rathnayake further stated that some fuel stations have been selling up to two and a half times their normal volumes, placing pressure on storage and fuel distribution capacities. He urged the public not to panic, expressing confidence that the situation will return to normal by tomorrow.
The ‘‘odd-even’’ numbers fuel distribution method was introduced to manage unnecessary pressure, although the QR system alone is capable of handling distribution efficiently, he added.
The Minister also clarified that vehicle owners without number plates can still obtain fuel by presenting any one of the following documents: revenue license, emission certificate, vehicle registration certificate, or insurance certificate, as all contain the vehicle registration number.
He concluded by stating that once the system stabilizes, authorities will take action against any fraudulent activities related to fuel distribution.
