COLOMBO: Soldiers in Sri Lanka given tokens on Mon (Jun 27) to the people queueing for gas amid a severe fuel shortage within the nation battling its worst economic crisis within seven decades, while institutions shut in Colombo and public employees were asked to work from home.
With its foreign exchange reserves in a record low, the island of twenty two million is fighting to pay for essential imports of food, medicine and most critically, gasoline.
“I have been in line for 4 days, I haven’t slept or eaten properly during this time, inch said autorickshaw motorist WD Shelton, 67, one of those who received a token designed to hold his place in the queue designed for when fuel receives.
“We aren’t earn, we aint able to feed our families, ” added Shelton, who was 24th in line at a fuel station in the centre of Colombo, but set to stay there as he got no petrol for the journey to their home just 5km away.
It was not immediately clear how far the government can stretch its gasoline reserves.
The stockpiles stand around 9, 000 tonnes of diesel and 6, 000 tonnes of petrol, Strength and Energy Ressortchef (umgangssprachlich) Kanchana Wijesekera stated on Sunday, but no fresh shipments are due.
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