The Ceylon Petroleum Private Bowser Owners’ Association has alleged that fuel distribution operations have been arbitrarily handed over to another party, which could disrupt fuel transportation across the country.
The association’s Treasurer – Jagath Parakrama warned that the move could jeopardize distribution if not reversed immediately, claiming there is an attempt to create a monopoly over fuel transport.
Parakrama noted that bowser owners, numbering around 400–500 in the association, have long handled the transport of fuel from bulk storage depots island-wide.
He alleged that authorities are now trying to award the fuel transportation route from Colombo and Muthurajawela to Kurunegala to a single businessman via a tender process.
He added, “If we don’t transport the fuel, no one else will be able to do so. However, in the last two or three years, this business was about to be handed over to a few large-scale business people. We, as an association, intervened and managed to stop it for a long time. But now, they are trying to hand over this transportation service to their close associates.”
He stressed that fuel transportation should remain a public service, warning that allowing a monopoly could lead to issues similar to those faced by other transport services.
