By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera   

Claiming that there was no shortage of petrol in the  country, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said yesterday  the diesel shortage would continue for a few more days as issuing diesel  stocks to fuel stations has to be restricted as more diesel stocks were  released for power generation at present.  

Responding to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith  Premadasa he told Parliament that more diesel stocks were released for power  generation after the breakdown of the Norochcholai Coal Power Plant to  maintain power cut for three hours and twenty minutes.  

“The Coal Power Plant is scheduled to restore by Sunday  evening. We have to manage our diesel stocks till then. We have  requested Mahaweli Minister to release maximum water for hydropower  generation until such time. If we release more diesel for fuel stations,  we will have to impose power cuts for seven to eight hours. Government  has taken a policy decision on the instructions of the President to give  priority to power generation,” he said.   
The Minister said 4,000 metric tonnes of diesel were  usually released to fuel stations daily and that only 1,000 to 1,500 metric tonnes of diesel were released at present despite sufficient  stocks in the country.  
“Another diesel shipment from India is due on May 11. It might delay by two days,” he said.  

The Minister requested people not to store additional diesel stocks to prevent unnecessary queues.  
He said, however, 3,000 metric tonnes of petrol were released to fuel stations at present.  

The Minister said queues for petrol would ease within the next  three days and added that current queues for petrol were due to recent  strikes by fuel bowsers and technical and management issues.  
He said it was a historical blunder to close down the  Sapugaskanda refinery and added that it had cost a fortune for the  Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.  

“We will restart the refinery soon,” he said.  

• If we release more diesel for fuel stations,  we will have to impose power cuts for seven to eight hours