President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has instructed the relevant officials to take measures to ensure that the stocks of fuel currently received and to be received within the next few days, are systematically distributed to fuel stations island-wide.

The President made these remarks at a special discussion on the distribution and import of petrol, diesel, and LP gas at the President’s House in Colombo today (June 17).

Special attention was paid to the possibility of entering into long-term fuel supply agreements with the suppliers, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a statement.

Public transportation will be given priority in fuel distribution. The President noted that action should be taken to dispense fuel to private and tourist buses and school vans under the supervision of the police using fuel stations owned by the Sri Lanka Transport Board.

It was decided to continue issuing fuel from the identified filling stations for other essential services and to provide security to the filling stations by the Army and Police Special Task Force.

The security forces were also ordered to strictly enforce the law against those who unnecessarily store fuel.

Discussions were also held on the systematic distribution of existing gas stocks and the expeditious ordering of sufficient gas stocks.

Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister of Public Defence Tiran Alles, Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Secretary to the President Gamini Senarath, Chief of Staff to the President Anura Dissanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardena, Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy Mapa Pathirana, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security S. Hettiarachchi, IGP C.D. Wickramaratne  Heads of Defence, Fuel, Power and Gas Institutions were also present.