The crisis of petrol and diesel in Sri Lanka is deepening. People are engaged in long lines at petrol pumps so that they can somehow get oil. Two elderly people have died due to falling in this line. At the same time, the Sri Lankan government says that hoarders have created a shortage of oil.
Sri Lankan police said on Sunday that two people fell and died while waiting in separate lines for oil amid skyrocketing prices. Police spokesperson Nalin Thaladuwa in Colombo said, “Two seventy-year-old men waiting for petrol and kerosene have died in two different parts of the country.
On Sunday, Sri Lanka closed its only fuel refinery after it ran out of crude oil stocks, said Ashok Ranawala, president of the Petroleum General Employees Union. According to the information received, people have been queuing for several hours at the pumps for weeks so that they can get oil in some way. At the same time, power cuts continue in the country.
There was no response from the state petroleum ministry regarding this matter. However, the government says that the oil crisis that has arisen in the country at this time is due to profiteering.
Sri Lanka has been battling for dollars to pay for increasingly expensive fuel shipments since January. Its forex reserves have fallen to $2.31 billion in February. Inflation in Sri Lanka stood at 15.1% in February, the highest in Asia. On the other hand, according to the new data of the government, food inflation has increased to 25.7 percent.
Milk powder prices rose by Rs 250 ($0.90) for a 400-gram pack on Saturday, prompting restaurant owners to raise the price of a cup of milk tea by up to Rs 100. Let us tell you that Sri Lanka is facing economic crisis these days. Along with inflation, there is a shortage of essential commodities in the country.