"Buses can run for 2 more days"

Gemunu Wijeratne, President of the Ceylon Private Bus Owners' Association, said that according to the available fuel stocks, buses could only run for another two days, after which public transport would be in crisis.

But he said he would not raise bus fares because he could not get fuel.

Secretary of the All Ceylon Private Bus Owners' Association Anjana Priyanjith said that if proper procedures are not followed to provide diesel, buses will be forced to withdraw from service in the coming days.

Mr. Priyanjith said that the government was focusing on revising bus fares and that the government should take immediate action to provide fuel for private buses.

Bus drivers say they have to wait in line for days to get 50 liters of fuel, which is not enough for buses. The Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardena stated that short distance public transport will be provided by SLTB buses and inter-provincial transport will have to be stopped.

Mr. Gunawardena said that the decision was taken due to the limited fuel reserves available in the country and that the government regrets the temporary difficulties that may arise at this time.

"Drop the Aeroflot case": Attorney General asks court

If a Sri Lankan court issues further orders in the Aeroflot case, it could be prejudicial to the agreements between the two countries and contrary to Sri Lankan government policy, the Attorney General told Colombo Commercial High Court Judge Harsha Sethunga  to dismiss the case. 

Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena made this request while appearing before the court on behalf of the Attorney General.

The Additional Solicitor General further stated that the plaintiff in this case, the Irish company, had obtained an injunction restraining the aircraft from leaving the country by abusing its power and concealing facts from the court.

The Additional Solicitor General stated that the case could not be continued as the enjoining order issued by the court had been dissolved. Defendant Aeroflot's lawyer told the court that the plane had flown to Russia after the court's injunction was lifted, but so far no other Russian company's aircraft has been able to land in Sri Lanka.

After considering all the facts, the judge stated that as the case is a special case, the inquiry will commence on the 5th and after considering the facts, an order will be issued. Accordingly, the case is scheduled to be heard again on July 5.

One day service at Passport Regional Offices

Dhammika Perera, Minister of Investment Promotion said that steps will be taken to open one day services at the Immigration and Emigration Department branches in several major cities and a new Immigration and Emigration office will be opened in Jafna

He also said that he hopes to start the Jaffna office at his own expense.

Mr. Perera said that due to the high demand for foreign employment in the country, a large number of applicants are queuing near passport offices and as a solution to this the one day service will be activated at the Matara, Kandy, Vavuniya and Kurunegala branches.

The Minister further stated that due to the high number of applicants applying online, the arrival date granted by the Immigration and Emigration Office will be extended by two to three months, thereby preventing the expatriate workers from leaving the country expeditiously.

He said that in the current situation, it was not possible to call for tenders to open new offices and that steps had already been taken to expedite the service by doing so with his own money. 

Basil summons the bud

Several special rounds of internal discussions of the Sri Lanka People's Front are scheduled to commence from today (June 29).

The National Organizer of the Sri Lanka People's Front, former Minister Basil Rajapaksa will preside over the discussions at the party headquarters, the party said.

Representatives of women's and youth organizations affiliated to the Sri Lanka People's Front, trade unions and the Local Government Forum are expected to participate in the discussions.

A spokesman for the Sri Lanka People's Front said that a number of key issues in the country, including measures to be taken to resolve the current crisis in the country and party empowerment, would be discussed at the meeting.

Murder in Akuressa: Main suspect arrested

The main suspect in the beheading of a cotton grower in the Thibbatuwa area in Akuressa has been arrested.

The suspect is a 24 year old resident of Thibbatuwa, Akuressa.

The suspect is to be produced before the Matara Magistrate's Court today (June 29).

The suspect's mother and father had been arrested earlier in connection with the incident.

Police suspect the killing may have been over a personal dispute.

The victim had been working as a cotton weaver at the Godapitiya temple until recently and had recently passed away from his house due to amputation of one of his legs.

Minister Kanchana meets another to buy oil for Sri Lanka

Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has met with the Deputy Director General of the Qatar Development Fund to discuss fuel purchases in Sri Lanka.

Posting a note on his Twitter account, the Minister said that the loan facilities available for the supply of petroleum and gas were discussed there.

The Minister further stated that funds have been allocated for medical supplies and that the request for a loan facility will be considered in support of the International Monetary Fund's program.

Earlier, Kanchana Wijesekera had met with the Minister of State for Energy and the Chairman of the Qatar Energy Company.

A 3 year old child dies after falling into a pond

A 3-year-old boy has died after falling into a fish pond in front of a house in the Madukelle area in the upper part of the jungle in Panvila.

Police said the child had fallen into the pool while playing in the backyard yesterday (June 28) evening.

The deceased has been identified as a resident of Madukele.

The body is being kept at the Madukele Hospital morgue and Panvila Police are conducting further investigations.

Rice from China for school children's food needs

China has donated 1,000 metric tons of rice to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Education.

According to the Chinese Embassy, ​​the consignment of 44 containers of rice was handed over to the Ministry of Education for distribution among Sri Lankan children.

The stock of 10,000 metric tons of rice has been donated as part of a six-month program to feed 1.1 million children in 7,900 schools.

The Chinese embassy said two more stocks of rice would be delivered next week.

In addition, the Chinese Embassy said it was in discussions with the Ministry of Education to provide uniforms to Sri Lankan school children for the New Year.

Here are the LIOC filling stations where fuel is available

Lanka IOC in Trincomalee The company said it was delivering fuel from the terminal to its filling stations yesterday (June 28).

Accordingly, it will be possible to obtain fuel from the relevant filling stations today (June 29), said the General Manager of the company Manoj Gupta.

He further stated that his company is working to maintain a daily fuel supply.

However, the Ceylon IOC The company has a limited fuel supply, with a limit of Rupees. 1,500 for motorcycles and Rupees. 2,500 for three-wheelers.

Petrol is issued for cars subject to a limit of Rupees. 7,000.

LIOC said yesterday that it would continue to issue fuel for non-essential services, despite the government's restrictions on the supply of fuel only for essential services.

Sri Lanka's economic growth slows to 1.6%

Sri Lanka's economic growth slowed to 1.6% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the first quarter of 2021.

This was stated by the Department of Census and Statistics while issuing a statement on the issuance of National Accounts Estimates for the first quarter of 2022.

Sri Lanka has failed to post the expected high economic growth this quarter due to strong factors such as inflation, rupee depreciation, dollar deficit, remittances and declining tourism revenue, the department said.

The announcement also said that manufacturing activities in many manufacturing, construction and service industries were hampered due to various disruptions in fuel imports and the industrial sector as a whole also recorded negative economic growth.

However, the services sector recorded a modest economic growth of 0.7% in the first quarter of 2021 this year.

The country is in such a predicament due to ignoring the advice given by the Maha Sangha - Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanaratana Thera

The Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanaratana Thera, the Chief Leader of the Asgiriya Chapter says that the rulers did not listen to the statements made by the Maha Sangha that the country would go to a serious abyss if the country continues to be ruled by the existing system.

He also said that the monks in the country are now very disappointed that they have realized that there is no point in preaching what is not done.

He said that the country and the people were in such a predicament due to the disregard of the advice and instructions given by the Maha Sangha to the rulers.

The Chief Prelate of Asgiriya said so at a function held yesterday (June 28) on the occasion of the birthday of Ven.

The Chief Prelate also said that there was nothing that could be done about it other than worshiping the Buddha and praying to God to save the country.

He further stated that the country has been safe in the face of foreign invasions since then due to the blessings and help of God and it is hoped that the security of the country will be ensured in the same way tomorrow.

Prime Minister's decision on the Governor of the Central Bank

The recommendation to extend the tenure of Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has been forwarded to President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The term of office of the current Governor of the Central Bank is due to end tomorrow (June 30).

The Governor of the Central Bank Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe has previously stated that he did not assume the post of Governor of the Central Bank for a period of two months.

Speaking to the BBC World Service, he said he had informed the authorities that he was interested in continuing as central bank governor.

Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe assumed duties as the new Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in April.

Sagala says a petrol tanker will not arrive until July 22

Prime Ministerial Adviser Sagala Ratnayake says that a ship carrying petrol will return to Sri Lanka on July 22.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe has stated this when he met the editors of newspapers, TV and radio news directors this afternoon (June 29).

Explaining the current situation of fuel in the country, Mr. Sagala Ratnayake has stated that a ship carrying diesel will arrive in Sri Lanka between July 11 and 15. Until then, the Petroleum Corporation has stocks of diesel only for essential services, he said.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe also made a special statement to the media regarding the urgent measures taken to resolve the fuel crisis.

Meanwhile, Sagala Ratnayake has stated that 33,000 metric tons of gas will be received in Sri Lanka by the 6th, 10th, 16th, 19th, 21st and 31st of next month.

After giving one piece of the ministry to Dhammika, the rest is gazetted separately

A new Ministry has been announced as the Ministry of Technology.

Previously, the two Ministries were merged into the Ministry of Technology and Investment Promotion and the two Ministries were separated after Dhammika Perera was sworn in as the Minister of Investment Promotion.

The Ministry of Technology is currently under President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

It includes several institutions including the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission and Sri Lanka Telecom.

Cabinet approves new law

Cabinet approval has been granted to introduce a new law on contempt of court.

In view of the fact that there is currently no clear and uniform procedure for hearing and deciding such cases due to the fact that contempt of court has not been defined in Sri Lanka and the introduction of appropriate laws in view of the recently severely criticized cases of contempt of court. The Law Commission of Sri Lanka has studied and prepared a preliminary draft.

Strong opposition to 'selling' CEYPETCO filling stations to foreign companies

The Samagi Jana Balawega states that it strongly opposes the government's attempt to sell its filling stations to foreign companies under the guise of the fuel crisis.

MP Tissa Attanayake told a media briefing that the government had decided to sell state-owned petrol stations to foreign companies.

“Today, the nationwide distribution of petroleum is a complete failure. The Minister of Petroleum says that a token system is being used. It was also said that a system of weekly supply of oil would be prepared in numerical order. In fact, there is not even a drop of oil in this country. Now the Minister of Petroleum says a wonderful solution. He says that the government has decided to sell the fuel depots for the distribution of oil in Sri Lanka to foreign companies. In the midst of this crisis, the government is trying to sell Sri Lankan resources to foreign companies and sell the local resources of Sri Lanka once again in the midst of the crisis and divert the issue. It's a sad situation. I strongly oppose the strategy of the government at the moment to sell petrol stations owned by the Petroleum Corporation. The supply of oil, gas and electricity is the primary responsibility of the government. The government that failed to do so is trying to sell the country's resources and make money in the wake of the crisis. ”

Here is the Central Bank's decision on five finance companies, including The Finance

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has announced that it will liquidate five 'failed' finance companies, including The Finance Co PLC.

Fuel for private vehicles from IOC filling stations.

LIOC says it will continue to issue fuel for non-essential services, despite the government's restrictions on fuel for essential services only.

LIOC General Manager Manoj Gupta said that government restrictions do not apply to them and that all vehicles will be refueled through their petrol stations through a token system.

The government yesterday abruptly decided to issue fuel only for essential services until July 10, with immediate effect through Ceypetco filling stations.

Ranjan Jayalal reveals 'conspiracy behind delaying fuel tanker'

Ranjan Jayalal, General Secretary of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) alleges that a fuel crisis has been created in the country with an underlying motive.

He points out that the delay in the arrival of the fuel tanker is one of the steps.

He said the conspiracy was aimed at instilling in the public the idea that petrol stations owned by the Sri Lankan government should be sold to foreign companies.

Fuel supply from Kolonnawa will be completely suspended

The supply of fuel from the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation's Kolonnawa warehouse has been suspended from this morning (28).

A senior official said that stocks of fuel would be issued from the Muthurajawela terminal only for essential services.

Cipetco petrol stations have also been informed to suspend the supply of fuel to the general public.

Today, however, long queues were seen near Cipetco gas stations.

The IOC, meanwhile, says it is also refueling private vehicles through its petrol stations.

If a 70 year old person rapes a child, it should not be published in the media, says the Speaker

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena today said that if a 70-year-old man sexually abuses a 6-year-old child, it should not be reported as news.

He was speaking at a workshop for journalists in Parliament.

He said there was a growing public opinion that all 225 members of parliament should be sacked and that the crisis could not be resolved by ousting members of parliament.

He pointed out that the crisis could be resolved by educating the media.

Power cuts : Here is the new schedule

The Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has approved a three-hour daily power cut from June 27 to July 6.

Accordingly, regions A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, and W belong to the regions. There will be a power outage for 40 hours and a power cut of one hour and 20 minutes during the night.

Also, except for the 2nd and 3rd of July, there will be a 2 hour power cut in the CC zones from 6.00 am to 8.00 am.

Areas in Zones M, N, O, X, Y and Z will be without power for 3 hours from 5.00 am to 8.00 am except on July 2 and 3.

Two ministers to visit Russia to buy oil

Two ministers are scheduled to leave for Russia to discuss fuel purchases.

They are scheduled to join in the relevant discussions while attending another diplomatic function.

It is also stated that action will be taken to provide filling stations in Sri Lanka to other companies on the basis of an agreement to import fuel under a loan scheme and the relevant proposal will be submitted to the Cabinet tomorrow.

Bus fares are also on the rise

The All Ceylon Private Bus Owners' Association says that a revision of bus fares is necessary due to the increase in fuel prices.

Its General Secretary Anjana Priyanjith said that the annual revision of bus fares should be done by June 30 and that a 35% revision of bus fares was required due to the increase in fuel prices.

“The bus fare increase, which is revised only once a year, is due on June 30. We propose to the government that the annual bus fare revision should be 20%. With the revision of diesel prices, bus fares should be increased by 15%. Together we propose a 35% to 40% increase in bus fares. ”

He also stated that the relevant bus fare revision should be made tomorrow.

He further stated that if not, the buses will be taken out of service.

Mother and father killed in Kahathuduwa fire: Two daughters in intensive care

A couple has died in a fire that broke out at a house in the Magammana area in Kahathuduwa.

On the night of June 25, four members of the same family sustained burn injuries in a fire that broke out in a room on the ground floor of the two-storey house.

They were admitted to the Homagama Hospital for treatment and the 47 year old father died while being transferred to the Colombo National Hospital for further treatment.

A spokesman for the National Hospital said the 35-year-old mother, who was being treated at the hospital, had also died.

The 19-year-old girl is receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital and the other 4-year-old girl has been admitted to the Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital for further treatment, the spokesman said.

One person has been killed in a shooting in Middeniya.

The Police Media Division stated that a florist owner had died in this manner.

The shooting took place on the morning of the 26th and a 52-year-old man was killed in the incident.

The motive for the shooting and the suspects have not yet been identified, police said.

All food prices increase by 10%, including rice packets

Asela Sampath, President of the Restaurant Owners' Association, says that the prices of all restaurant food items, including rice packets, will be increased by 10% due to the increase in fuel prices.

He was speaking at a press conference.

Asela Sampath said that if the price is not revised, restaurants that are currently 60% closed will have to close completely.

"Do not wait in line: Can't say when fuel tanker will arrive" - Ministry of Power and Energy

The Ministry of Power and Energy states that suppliers who have confirmed the arrival of ships carrying petrol, diesel and crude oil earlier this week and next week will not be able to arrive on time due to banking and supply reasons.

Until the next tanker arrives and lands, the remaining cargo will be distributed to public transport, power generation and industry as a priority.

Also, stocks of diesel and petrol will be distributed to limited places over the next week and people are urged not to wait in queues for fuel.

The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has not been able to confirm the arrival date of the fuel tanker and has refined refinery operations until the next crude oil tanker arrives.

Meanwhile, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) says that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has completely stopped issuing fuel orders.

Its secretary, D.V. Mr. Shantha Silva said that although fuel was being transported to the Kolonnawa and Muthurajawela terminals, the supply of fuel had been stopped.

Accordingly, only octane 95 petrol has been issued and orders for diesel and 92 octane petrol have been suspended since yesterday afternoon, he said.

US diplomats arrive in Sri Lanka

The delegation was received by officials from the US Embassy in Sri Lanka and officials from the Sri Lankan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The US Embassy in Sri Lanka announced that a delegation from the US Treasury Department and the State Department will remain in Sri Lanka until the 29th of this month.

The delegation will include Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Asia Robert Caproth and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Kelly Keiderlin.

During their visit, they will hold discussions with senior government officials, political party representatives as well as economic experts and representatives of international organizations.

The US embassy said the delegation would look into more effective ways to assist Sri Lanka.

Police instructed to videotape clashes at petrol stations

Police personnel deployed at the petrol stations have been instructed to videotape the clashes.

Police Media Spokesman SSP Nihal Thalduwa stated this.

They have also been instructed to contact senior police officers and seek the assistance of additional officers when such clashes are out of control.

The Police Media Spokesman further stated that the decision has been taken to use the footage to identify the perpetrators and take legal action against them in the future.

One killed after bus plunges into precipice in Meemure

One person was killed and several others were injured when a bus fell into a precipice in the Lulwatta area on the Meemure - Hunnasgiriya road.

A bus traveling from Meemure was involved in an accident.

Five persons who were injured in the accident have been admitted to the Teldeniya Base Hospital and several others to the Medamahanuwara Regional Hospital.

The body of the deceased has been placed at the Medamahanuwara Regional Hospital.

The Ministry of Education has announced the holding of schools during the week from Monday (June 27) to July 1.

Accordingly, from 2022-06-20 to 2022-06-24, schools should be run as usual, with no transportation difficulties for students and teachers, as was the case in rural schools.  

If there are teachers in these schools who have transportation difficulties, the principals should exempt those teachers from personal leave and set flexible schedules.

Schools in urban areas that were not held last week should be held 3 days a week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

In these schools too, the principals have the power to decide on the number of days for which the primary sections will be held.

Students should continue learning through online teaching / assignments / home-based activities for non-attendance days.

This day will not be considered as a private holiday for teachers who do not attend school due to transportation difficulties.

"Fertilizer will not be returned": Insult seeks compensation - Chindao Sewin Biotech in China

A senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture says that China's Chindao Sewing Biotech Company has informed that it will not be able to supply a new fertilizer ship to Sri Lanka to replace the rejected Chinese organic fertilizer ship.

According to internal sources of the Ministry of Agriculture, this has been informed through the company's local agent.

It is said that the Sri Lankan agency of the company had informed about this during a discussion held at the Ministry of Agriculture recently and it has been warned that if the stocks of fertilizer are not accepted, they will have to pay compensation for it.

A senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture said that the Sri Lankan representative of the Chinese company had informed the meeting that new fertilizer could not be provided to replace the rejected fertilizer stocks and that if the stock of fertilizer provided by the Chinese company was not accepted and rejected, it would be considered as defamation of the company.

The senior official said that the local agency had also informed that the Chinese company would have to pay US $ 1.5 million as compensation for defaming the company.

He added that if the compensation was not paid, it would affect the friendly trade between the two countries and warned that the local agent of the Chinese Fertilizer Company.

Experts in the field of agriculture allege that the US $ 6.7 million due to the rejected Chinese fertilizer ship has been paid and that Sri Lanka has not received any stock of fertilizer commensurate with the amount paid so far.

They also point out that it is doubtful that even the joint statement that should have been made in accordance with the conciliation reached in the court case has not been issued so far.

“Do not use rice for animal feed production”: Extraordinary Gazette from Consumer Affairs

The Consumer Affairs Authority has issued a special gazette banning the use of rice or paddy for animal feed production.

Accordingly, the direct use of rice or paddy for animal feed production or its indirect use as an inputs for animal feed production, sale, offering for sale, stockpiling, storage, transportation, distribution or purchase The Consumer Affairs Authority has been informed thereby.

The fuel crisis is also affecting education

The ministry had last week decided not to hold schools in all major cities island wide due to the fuel crisis.    

All Provincial Heads of Education, including the Western Province, were permitted to take appropriate action in relation to schools located in non-major cities and to allow Provincial Education Officers to open and maintain schools in schools with low enrollment at the local level without causing transportation difficulties to students, teachers and principals. Had given. 

“If there is a power outage, there is no time to say repair it”

It is reported that the fuel crisis has severely affected the employees of the Ceylon Electricity Board who are engaged in field duties to repair and maintain power outages.

Senajith Dassanayake, Acting Additional General Manager (Corporate Strategy) of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), said that this could lead to delays in deploying CEB vehicles for power outages and maintenance due to power outages.

He said that due to the shortage of fuel, the CEB has to identify priorities and direct vehicles.

He said that due to this, there could be some delay in repairing the power outages and he was committed to provide electricity as soon as possible to minimize the inconvenience to the consumers.

Leader of the Sri Lanka People's Front Mahinda Rajapaksa has stated that an election should be held after resolving the current crisis in the country.

Former Prime Minister and Leader of the Sri Lanka People's Front Mahinda Rajapaksa has stated that an election should be held after resolving the current crisis in the country.

Although many in the opposition have spoken of holding an election today, Mahinda Rajapaksa has stated that he is of the opinion that the current period is not conducive to it.

He has expressed these views during a recent discussion with the members of the People's Front. He said that the people were in a very difficult period and they could not develop an election mentality and the present rulers should take immediate action to solve the problems of the country.

Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has stated that all parties and the opposition should work together to find a solution to these crises, not individually, and that the ruling Sri Lanka People's Front (SLPP) is ready to assist in resolving the country's crises, regardless of party affiliation or color.

The oil crisis

Top officials of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation say that unlimited fuel consumption has been created due to the operation of an organized fuel racket in the face of the acute fuel crisis in the country.

Although the average daily demand for petrol in the country before the fuel crisis was 3500 metric tons, the demand for diesel was 6500 metric tons, the demand for kerosene was 700 metric tons and the demand for fuel for factories was 400 metric tons. Top officials of the Petroleum Corporation also emphasize that the situation has increased by almost a factor.

They point out that due to this fuel mafia, various professionals, people involved in the transport sector, people who go to the hospital every day to see patients, etc., have to face severe difficulties in obtaining fuel for daily necessities.

It is also reported that this fuel mafia has intensified by engaging in fuel collection activities for many three wheelers, cars, vans and lorries.

In particular, there is a shortage of fuel tanks in the market even now due to this situation.

It is reported that people who are specially trained to pull the fuel as it is not possible to pull the fuel tank of most of the cars, go around the petrol stations and give their services to the car owners for Rupees. 500 / -.

It is also stated that the pipes used to clean the fuel tanks have exceeded Rupees. It is reported that the fuel collection racket has been rampant so far and that these racketeers are also involved in selling fuel at exorbitant prices and some are selling petrol and diesel at around Rupees. 1000 per liter.

Another aspect of this mafia seems to be the increase in underworld activities associated with gas stations.

The underworld activities have already been reported in Kandy, Panadura and other areas and the Petroleum Corporation officials have received information that the petrol station owners are aware of these underworld activities and are keeping quiet. They thought about the safety of their gas stations.

It has been reported that in the wake of the clashes at the petrol stations, some of the petrol station owners have been allowed to control the activities of the petrol and underworld gangs in the area, where the thugs have become active and are supplying fuel to their cronies at exorbitant prices. It is reported that the situation is not under the control of the security forces and that some security personnel deployed at the petrol station have been queuing up on their own knowledge and instructions. As a result, people who have been queuing for hours and days have finally had to return home empty-handed. Police have been deployed to crack down on such mafias.

One of the dangerous aspects of this racket is that the racketeers who sell the oil at a higher price mix different things into the oil and increase the number of liters. Therefore, there is a risk that in the future, vehicles that buy fuel from such rackets will be subject to technical faults.

Land from the Prime Minister to all those who do not have land

The Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is taking steps to legally transfer the ownership of lands and houses to millions of people who do not have deeds for the ownership of lands and houses.

The program to provide land ownership to landless families under the 'Land for All' program was launched at the Prime Minister's Office.

This program is implemented by the Ministry of Tourism and Lands through the Land Reforms Commission and the Department of the Land Commissioner General.

The Minister of Tourism and Lands, Harin Fernando stated at the inauguration of the program that the first step in granting land ownership to all persons in the island who do not have legal title to the land will be the issuance of deeds.

The Minister further stated that arrangements have been made to issue between 1000 and 3000 deeds to the land owners every week under this program which was prepared with the objective of giving those who have lost their land in their native land a legal right to land.

Parallel to this program, title deeds were issued in Puttalam and Kurunegala Divisional Secretariats.

Nimal Siripala apologizes to Japan for Gotabhaya's decision to halt Japanese projects

Ports, Shipping and Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told Japanese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Misukoshi Hideki that he regretted the political decisions taken to halt some of the development projects planned to be launched by Japan.

The Minister handed over a special report to the Ambassador on the delay in the construction of the second phase of the Katunayake Airport, which commenced construction with the assistance of a loan from the Government of Japan.

Mr. Nimal Siripala Silva said that it was with great respect that he reminded the Japanese people of their support whenever Sri Lanka was in trouble.

The Minister also requested the Japanese Ambassador to encourage Japanese investors to set aside land for a new industrial park near the Trincomalee Port.

After Gotabhaya Rajapaksa became President, the Colombo-based light rail project, which was planned to be built with Japanese aid, was also halted.

Is Minister Bandula planning to take Sri Lanka back a few decades?

The Ministry of Transport has taken steps to popularize cycling as one of the solutions to the transport problems that have arisen due to the fuel crisis in the country.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Transport will take steps to popularize cycling for school children in areas outside the city and encourage people traveling by train to Colombo to cycle from their homes to the nearest railway station and park it safely at the railway station.

Minister of Transport and Highways Bandula Gunawardena has stated that the Sri Lanka Police and the Sri Lanka Institute of Engineers are working with other agencies involved in cycling to introduce new lanes for the safety of cyclists.

The Minister also said that park & ​​ride centers should be set up on seven main roads leading to Colombo and park and ride centers should be set up at all railway stations to reduce the daily flow of traffic to Colombo. .

Minister Bandula Gunawardena has stated this at a meeting held at the 'Maga Neguma' Medura of the Ministry of Highways recently.

"Petrol ship arrives today"

A ship carrying 40,000 metric tons of petrol was scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on the morning of June 23, but the arrival of the ship will be delayed by a day, said Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera.

The ship is scheduled to arrive in Sri Lanka on June 24, the Minister said.

Due to this a limited quantity of petrol will have to be distributed throughout the country today as well as yesterday, the Minister said.

The Minister further said that although arrangements have been made to distribute auto diesel at maximum capacity, the distribution of super diesel has to be restricted. 

Gas blast victims seek international help

Convener of the Gas Victims Association Milinda Premaratne said that the victims of the gas accidents will go to the International Court of Justice to seek justice.

Mr. Premaratne said that there was no solution to this crime in Sri Lanka and that if the government and the Human Rights Commission were not able to find a solution quickly, his union would seek the assistance of the International Court of Justice.

He said more than 900 gas explosions, leaks and lip fires had been reported across the country and that Litro was responsible for seven deaths.

He said that Litro had imported 800,000 cylinders and spare parts from India from 2015 to 2019 and experts had recommended that the equipment and gas cylinders be substandard.

He alleged that a complaint had been lodged with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka but had not been resolved and that the recommendations of the commission appointed by the President to investigate the matter had not been released to date.

New work from the Central Bank

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has introduced a new data collection system called the International Transaction Reporting System (ITRS).

Recognizing the need to implement a system for monitoring international transactions and domestic foreign currency transactions through the banking system, the Central Bank has implemented the data collection system with the participation of Licensed Commercial Banks and Licensed Specialized Banks.

The International Transaction Reporting System is a system of collecting detailed data on cross-border transactions and domestic and foreign currency transactions.

The system is expected to fill a number of existing data gaps, in addition to export earnings, imports, and transfer of IT-based business processes to external sources. The Central Bank also stated that the database could serve a number of purposes, including improving the balance of payments frequencies, including transactions, remittances, and financial account transactions.

The Central Bank further stated that the International Transaction Reporting System will also help in obtaining information on the origins of foreign exchange inflows into the country for education, medicine, tourism and other purposes that will help in future policy decisions. The first phase of the International Transaction Reporting System is scheduled to go live on June 21, 2022.

These reporting requirements are based on the powers conferred by the Monetary Law Act No. 58 of 1949, the Banking Act No. 30 of 1988 and the Foreign Exchange Act No. 12 of 2017.

Will Sapugaskanda be closed again?

According to internal sources, the Sapugaskanda refinery is in danger of closing down within a week due to a shortage of crude oil.

The internal sources warned that if this happened, the oil refining process would come to a complete standstill and the fuel crisis facing the country would be exacerbated.

They point out that the closure of the Sapugaskanda oil refinery from time to time is a serious threat to its vitality.

The oil unions also warn that a crude oil tanker has been anchored in Sri Lankan waters for days and that the situation will worsen if it is not purchased.

A senior official of the Ministry of Energy says that steps are being taken to expedite the purchase of crude oil for the refining process.

At present the Sapugaskanda oil refinery processes 350 metric tons of petrol, 750 metric tons of diesel, 1300 metric tons of fuel and 550 metric tons of kerosene per day.