Cars Waiting In Long Queues To Get Fuel In Sri Lankan Capital

COLOMBO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th July, 2022) In Colombo, Sri Lanka's commercial capital, vehicle and tuktuks (three-wheeled auto rickshaw serving as taxi) drivers wait in long queues at gas stations to get fuel, a Sputnik correspondent at the scene reported on Sunday.

"This is a queue for fuel, for petrol. I've been waiting for about three days. A lot of people besides me are also waiting, they (gas station workers) don't give us numbers in line, it's a a first-come-first-served basis. The queue is so long that we may have to wait until the evening to get to the gas station and get fuel," a local citizen told Sputnik.

According to some drivers, the queues are up to 1-2 kilometers (0.6-1.2 miles) long.

Sri Lanka is now facing a major political and economic crisis considered 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. The recession is attributed to ineffective government policies and 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 suffer from power outages.

Last weekend, Colombo was rocked by thousand-strong protests, caused by public dissatisfaction with the government's inefficiency in fighting the economic crisis. Following the unrest, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, appointed as the acting president, called an emergency meeting of political party leaders, who demanded that both the prime minister and president resign immediately.

The election of the new president of Sri Lanka will be held on July 20 in the country's parliament.