CPC, CPSTL responsible - Susil

11 July 2011 08:53 pm Views - 6486

Chairmen of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and the Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminal Ltd. (CPSTL) should take the responsibility for the import and distribution of the low quality petrol, Petroleum Industries Minister Susil Premjayantha said yesterday.

He told the Daily Mirror that compensation would be paid to motorists if their vehicles had been damaged due to pumping of contaminated petrol and added that the whole episode was ‘an administrative fault’.

“Chairman of the CPC is tasked to make the order, import it and make the payments while the job of the CPSTL chairman is to send the imported stock of fuel through quality assurance and the distribution. The procedure cannot be deviated even at an emergency purchase. This has not been followed at this particular purchase of the 20,000 metric tons of petrol it seems,” Minister Premjayantha said.

“The normal procedure is to purchase fuel in bulk through a Cabinet Appointed Tender Board (CATB) in advance of between 3 to 4 months,” he added.  
Minister Premajayantha said he suspended the payments for the consignment and appointed a three-member committee headed by Power and Energy Ministry Secretary M.M.C. Ferdinando to investigate the deal and report back.

The consignment of 90 octane petrol worth US$11.5 million or Rs.1.17 billion was imported from the Emirates National Oil Company in Dubai to prevent a possible fuel shortage after a 10-day breakdown at the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery (SOR).

The committee comprises Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Marketing Manager Chaminda Samarakone and former deputy General Manager of the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery, Piyasena Ekanayake.

The complaints received by the CPC are being processed right now and compensations will be paid accordingly decided on the damage caused, Minister Premjayantha said.

Meanwhile acting Marketing Manager of the CPC, S.C.P Samarakone said the CPC has received nearly 2,000 complaints from Motor cars and Motor Cycle owners by last Saturday and being categorized on the instructions of the Minister Premjayantha.

We send the categorized complaints to our regional managers of the nine provinces to pay compensation after assessing the damage,’ Mr. Samarakone.   
The CATB was compelled to purchase this particular consignment from another source as the CPC’s regular supplier from India, who supplies about 70% of our fuel requirements, had increased the premium when they realized there was an emergency.

Complaints could be made on -- 011 5666328, 011 5665082 and 011 5664941