President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said on Sunday the government will revise agreements signed with private fuel companies by previous administrations, which he said limit its ability to act against retailers.
Addressing a National People’s Power (NPP) rally in Ibbagamuwa, he said some private companies hold fuel stocks at their filling stations but refuse to sell unless prices rise. One company asked for a Rs. 132 increase per litre of diesel and another for Rs. 116, he said.
The government limited the diesel price rise at Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) filling stations to Rs. 10 per litre and continues to subsidise consumers, the President said. He said the CPC’s share of the diesel market has risen to 77 percent.
For motorists, the dispute affects the price they pay for diesel at private and state-run stations.
“If they cannot handle the remaining 23 percent, we will do it ourselves,” the President said.
