The Joint Trade Union Collective of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) had taken a decision not to supply diesel and furnace oil from today to private power houses that operate under the purview of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Power and Energy Ministry.

They had taken this step as a mark of protest over Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake's involvement in not allowing the CPC to clear the area between the Colombo Port and the Kolonnawa storage facility of unlawful settlers and thereby disrupting the process of laying a pipeline of about 140 metres between Modara and Mahawatta.

President of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya, Samitha Asithage said that if renovation work on the old pipeline is not finished quickly, a chaotic situation leading could ensue leading to a petroleum crisis in the country.

He pointed out that the quicker the pipeline is finished the quicker the country can start saving foreign exchange as petroleum that is unloaded at the Colombo Harbour could be transferred without delay to the Kolonnawa facility thereby ensuring that there are no delays in unloading fuel and ships could leave on time ensuring that they did not have to pay demurrage costs which could be as high as US$ 20,000 at a time. (Mahinda Nissanka)

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