• Health Ministry assures TUs of amended circular 

Deputy Health Minister, Dr. Hansaka Wijemuni, reassuring concerned health trade unions (TUs), said that the fuel quota being issued per week with the quick response (QR) code-based system would be further amended by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) to accommodate the requirement of various fields of work.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (16), Dr. Wijemuni said that a basic circular containing the various fuel quotas allocated under the QR code had been issued for the moment. However, an assessment will be carried out on the fuel requirement of the various job categories, he said. Explaining, he said that the quota of fuel required by medical and health service personnel, those engaged in agriculture, vehicles that are for hire, vehicles being used for development purposes, and those under the Energy Ministry, would be assessed before another circular is issued to amend the quota of fuel that would be allotted per week under those categories. 

The QR quota system was re-introduced only on 15 March. However, amendments to those quotas would be introduced within the next few days, he said. He therefore urged the medical and health TUs to refrain from panicking. 

Meanwhile, the President of the Public Health Inspectors Union (PHIU), K.A.P. Boralessa warned that there is a risk of disruption to public health services due to the QR fuel system that was reintroduced by the Government. He said that the new system where only five litres of petrol is issued per week for a motorcycle is inadequate to carry out their field duties. Boralessa further said that many PHIs are responsible for preventive health services in four to 10 Grama Niladhari divisions daily. For this work, they use the motorcycles provided by the Government. He noted that the matter had already been brought to the attention of the Health Minister.

The Government Medical Officers’ Association had even written to the President requesting his urgent intervention in introducing a special mechanism in getting an adequate fuel volume in a bid to maintain an uninterrupted healthcare service. 

Also, the Government and Provincial Government TU Federation urged President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to intervene in the provision of an adequate amount of fuel to commute to work. In a letter to the President, General Secretary of the Federation, Ajith K. Thilalakarathne said yesterday that at present, more than 2.5 million employees in both the public and private sectors travel to work using motorcycles. 

“We note that the present war situation was unexpected and unforeseen in any way, and it is clearly understood that this situation is not faced by Sri Lanka alone but has arisen as a global issue,” he said. However, in order to enable the employees in both the public and private sectors to report to work without difficulty, the Federation requested that the fuel allowance currently limited to five litres per week allotted to motorcycles be increased to 10 litres per week. 

Further, CPC Managing Director, Mayura Neththikumara stated that a fuel tanker arrived in Sri Lanka yesterday morning, and that arrangements have been made to commence the unloading of its cargo within the day. The vessel carries 18,000 metric tonnes (MTs) of diesel, 17,000 MTs of petrol, and 3,000 MTs of super diesel, he confirmed. 

He noted that all currently ordered vessels are arriving as scheduled and that steps have been taken to distribute fuel orders to filling stations nationwide.

Highlighting measures implemented under the quick response (QR) code-based fuel distribution system, Neththikumara warned that certain parties are reportedly using fraudulent accounts to collect personal information. He urged the public to only use the official Government website, fuelpass.gov.lk, and refrain from providing information to any other website or third party. 

“Instances have been reported in which fraudulent individuals are obtaining information to generate QR codes under other people’s names. Providing personal data to unauthorised sites may result in individuals losing the opportunity to create their own QR codes,” he cautioned. “Another vessel arrived at the Colombo Port by 10 a.m. yesterday. Our officers have boarded the ship to inspect the fuel samples, and unloading will begin following the inspection. The cargo includes 18,000 MTs of diesel, 17,000 MTs of petrol, and 3,000 MTs of super diesel. All ordered vessels are scheduled to arrive at the Colombo Port as planned,” Neththikumara added.

He further detailed the distribution of fuel orders as of yesterday: 616 orders for the CPC, 204 for the Lanka Indian Oil Corporation, 247 for Sinopec, and 248 for RM Parks. 

Fuel has been distributed to all locations, and passenger buses will receive fuel through depots, with bowsers dispatched early yesterday morning, he said.

Addressing registration challenges under the QR system, he stated that the CPC is working to resolve issues for individuals who are unable to register due to changes in vehicles or mobile numbers.  He reiterated that the official CPC website remains the only legitimate platform for generating fuel QR codes. “Do not provide information to any website other than fuelpass.gov.lk. Unauthorised sites may create QR codes in other people’s names, resulting in the loss of your own access to the system,” Neththikumara emphasised.