Colombo, Mar 30:
Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday expressed gratitude to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for dispatching a fuel shipment to help ease supply disruptions in the island nation triggered by the West Asia conflict.
An emergency consignment of 38,000 MT of fuel—comprising 20,000 MT of diesel and 18,000 MT of petrol—reached Colombo on Saturday through the local arm of Indian Oil Corporation, Lanka IOC (LIOC).
Earlier, Sri Lanka had engaged in discussions with Jaishankar seeking support to ensure energy sustainability amid the volatile situation in West Asia. The LIOC had sought emergency fuel supplies from India after facing difficulties in sourcing fuel from its Middle Eastern and Singapore-based suppliers.
To manage shortages and prevent panic buying, Sri Lanka introduced a fuel quota system from March 15 to curb long queues caused by hoarding. Authorities have also initiated legal action against several individuals accused of hoarding fuel in different parts of the country. Meanwhile, the Energy Ministry has assured that fuel stocks are sufficient to last until the end of May.