https://sputnikglobe.com/20220627/sri-lankan-authorities-limit-sale-of-fuel-to-essential-services-only---govt-official-1096731133.html

Sri Lankan Authorities Limit Sale of Fuel to Essential Services Only - Gov't Official

Sputnik International

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - Sri Lankan authorities limited the sale of fuel to essential services only until July 10, against the backdrop of fuel shortages on the... 27.06.2022, Sputnik International

2022-06-27T21:05+0000

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"The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to provide fuel only for essential services from midnight today [Monday] until July 10," Gunawardena said.The official urged public and private sector employees to apply for working at home until the end of the restriction.Gunawardena specified that fuel will only be supplied for essential services, such as the health sector, food transportation, agricultural sector and hospitals.Sri Lanka is now facing a political and economic crisis, the worst since gaining independence in 1948. In mid-April, Sri Lanka defaulted on its external debt for an interim period, pending a restructuring of the obligations under an IMF-supported economic adjustment program. Sri Lanka’s external debt is estimated at $51 billion.The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. It left the country unable to buy enough fuel, with people facing an acute scarcity of food and basic necessities, heating fuel, and gas. Many regions are facing power outages.

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Sri Lankan Authorities Limit Sale of Fuel to Essential Services Only - Gov't Official

21:05 GMT 27.06.2022

© AP Photo / Eranga JayawardenaPeople wait as protesters demanding fuel block traffic near a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 24, 2022. Sri Lankans have endured months of shortages of food, fuel and other necessities due to the country's dwindling foreign exchange reserves and mounting debt, worsened by the pandemic and other longer term troubles. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

People wait as protesters demanding fuel block traffic near a fuel station in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Friday, June 24, 2022. Sri Lankans have endured months of shortages of food, fuel and other necessities due to the country's dwindling foreign exchange reserves and mounting debt, worsened by the pandemic and other longer term troubles. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena) - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.06.2022

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - Sri Lankan authorities limited the sale of fuel to essential services only until July 10, against the backdrop of fuel shortages on the island, Minister of Transport and Highways and Minister of Mass Media Bandula Gunawardena said on Monday.

"The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to provide fuel only for essential services from midnight today [Monday] until July 10," Gunawardena said.

The official urged public and private sector employees to apply for working at home until the end of the restriction.

Gunawardena specified that fuel will only be supplied for essential services, such as the health sector, food transportation, agricultural sector and hospitals.

In this Jan. 2, 2018, file photo, a Chinese construction worker stands on land that was reclaimed from the Indian Ocean for the Colombo Port City project, initiated as part of China's ambitious One Belt One Road initiative, in Colombo, Sri Lanka. - Sputnik International, 1920, 27.06.2022

Asia

China Says It Saved Sri Lanka From a 'Western Debt Trap' by Leasing Hambantota Port for 99 Years

27 June 2022, 07:39 GMT

Sri Lanka is now facing a political and economic crisis, the worst since gaining independence in 1948. In mid-April, Sri Lanka defaulted on its external debt for an interim period, pending a restructuring of the obligations under an IMF-supported economic adjustment program. Sri Lanka’s external debt is estimated at $51 billion.

The recession is attributed to foreign exchange shortages caused by a clampdown on tourism during the COVID-19 pandemic. It left the country unable to buy enough fuel, with people facing an acute scarcity of food and basic necessities, heating fuel, and gas. Many regions are facing power outages.