The Office of the Speaker of Parliament states that the provision related to the  Essential Public Services Act were properly passed in Parliament today (28), despite the continuous disruptions by members during the vote.
 
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today postponed Parliament until August 04 following a tense situation during a vote on the Gazette issued by the government declaring the storage, transport and distribution of petroleum as an essential service.

The Speaker’s Office in a statement said that parliament approved the proclamation made by the President in the form of an order under Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act, No. 61 of 1979 which was published in the Gazette Extraordinary No. 2029/23 of 25th July 2017 throughout Sri Lanka with effect from 25th July 2017 declaring the services of any Public Corporation or Government Department or Local Authority or Co-operative Society or any branch thereof being a Department or Corporation or Local Authority or Co-operative Society, which is engaged in supply or distribution of fuel including petroleum products and gas and all services, work, labour of any description whatsoever, necessary or required to be done in connection with the discharge, carriage, landing, storage, delivery and removal of oil or fuel from vessels within any port as defined for the purposes of the Customs Ordinance, considering that those services are essential to life of the community and are likely to be impeded or interrupted.