News
CPC puts up for sale 500 more gas stations, complains Petroleum General Employees Union
By Chaminda Silva
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) was planning to sell another 500 gas stations including 300 run by local businessmen,to Lanka Indian Oil Corporation, President of the Petroleum General Employees Union Dr. Ashoka Ranwala told The Island.
There were 1,200 filling stations that receive fuel from CPC, he said. Only 200 petrol sheds were under the direct control of the CPC.
“The other 1,000 are operated by Sri Lankan businessmen who have used their own capital to establish and develop gas stations,” he said.
“Before 2002, CPC owned 400 gas stations and out of them 200 were sold to LIOC,” Ranwala said.
“Now, the government wants to sell the other 200 gas stations and 300 run by local businessmen to LIOC. In the past, most local businessmen running gas stations would have opposed such a move. But now most of them want to get out of the business because they are not getting fuel. You have to deal with the police, gangsters and angry people. So, most gas station owners are trying to sell their assets,” he said. Ranwala said that the government was trying to undermine the CPC.
“In the early 2000s, the Ranil Wickremesinghe government allowed private operators and the LIOC to take over the lucrative bunkering operation,” he said.
“They also didn’t develop the Sapugaskanda refinery. Running an oil refinery is a profitable business. I don’t know any other refinery that is not profitable. If the government brings in crude oil, the refinery can produce even jet fuel. We sell jet fuel to airlines and get paid in dollars. We can earn about 1.5 million US dollars a day if the refinery is operational,” he said.
The National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) has issued landslide early warnings to Kandy, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya Districts.
Accordingly level I landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions of Pasbage Korale in the Kandy District, Yatiyanthota and Deraniyagala in the Kegalle District and Ambagamuwa in the Nuwara Eliya District.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe convened a discussion at the Presidential Secretariat on Thursday afternoon (08) to address the Action Plan for Reconciliation and instructed the relevant departments to expedite the drafting of legislation necessary for the plan’s implementation.
The progress of initiatives within five key areas -legislation, institutional activities, land issues, prisoner release, and power decentralization, was also reviewed.
The discussion encompassed several important topics including the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the establishment of a National Land Council and the formulation of a National Land Policy.
Additionally, the President emphasized the need for enhanced operations of the Office of Missing Persons (OMP), including digitization efforts and the issuance of Certificates of Absence for individuals who had previously disappeared without trace.
In an effort to accelerate trade facilitation commitments and bolster the business landscape in Sri Lanka, a high-level review of the National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC) was conducted at the Presidential Secretariat on Wednesday (7).
The review focused on assessing the progress of trade facilitation commitments and scrutinizing the performance of the NTFC Secretariat. The private sector also voiced their views on expediting actions to ensure the completion of measures ahead of the projected timeline of 2025-2030.
In order to streamline compliance and optimize performance, several directives were issued during the meeting. Firstly, it was decided to establish the NTFC Secretariat under the supervision of the Ministry of Finance. Secondly, immediate measures to be taken to address the staffing requirements of the Secretariat and lastly, the budget allocated for the NTFC Secretariat in 2023, currently under the Department of Customs, was to be transferred to the Ministry of Finance to prioritize pending actions such as the development of the NTFC website and progress reporting system.
During the meeting, deliberations took place concerning the proposed National Single Window, a system aimed at simplifying and expediting trade processes. The participants agreed to expedite the submission of the proposal in a sequential manner to ensure its swift implementation.
Landslide Early Warnings issued to Kandy, Kegalle and Nuwara Eliya Districts
Expedite Action Plan for Reconciliation – President
National Trade Facilitation Committee Secretariat to be established
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