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Vehicle owners mixing solvents as fuel ‘alternatives’  

26 Jul 2022

  • Turpentine and paint thinner the most common options
  • Petrol with thinner being sold at Rs. 1,500 per litre
  • Petrol going at Rs. 3,000 per litre, diesel Rs. 2,000
BY Dinitha Rathnayake  The incidence of using alternatives for fuel has increased, with some members of the public resorting to combining fuel with chemicals such as turpentine and paint thinner, The Morning learnt. An investigation by The Morning revealed people queuing up at hardware stores to purchase turpentine (primarily used as a specialised solvent) and paint thinner (a solvent used to thin oil-based paints) as alternatives for petrol. Speaking to The Morning, a customer said: “We cannot wait in queues for days and the fuel price is too expensive for us. We are now combining these two chemicals as fuel because we don’t have any other option.” According to hardware owners who spoke to The Morning, they are experiencing a major demand for these chemicals. Meanwhile, the black market price of petrol has increased to Rs. 3,000 per litre, while the same for diesel is Rs. 2,000. Some, The Morning learnt, sell petrol mixed with paint thinner at a price of Rs. 1,500 per litre. Meanwhile, the queues lined up at fuelling stations do not appear to be reducing, as one person in such a queue told The Morning: “I have been sleeping in this car. Sometimes I leave to go and get food, and then I come back and wait. I haven’t taken a bath in days. I have no choice but to wait it out. I have to look after my family, my wife, and two children. Only if there’s fuel can I start running my cab and making a living.”  


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