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.

President Anura Kumara Disanayake held a meeting yesterday afternoon (July 08) at the Presidential Secretariat with senior officials of the Sri Lanka Customs Department.

The discussion focused extensively on identifying solutions to challenges arising from the complexity of customs procedures. Attention was also drawn to the technological solutions implemented thus far as part of the department’s institutional digitization process and the obstacles encountered in that effort, particularly in the context of achieving the government’s goal of establishing a digital economy by 2030.

In this context, the President instructed officials to expedite the process of amending existing legislations, identifying it as a key challenge that must be addressed without delay.

A review was conducted of the on-going ASYCUDA system and its existing shortcomings, the National Single Window service, and key challenges such as accurate recording of imports and exports, the granting of tax exemptions and the proper identification of revenue. The discussion focused on digitalization as a means to address these issues and assessed the progress of measures already implemented.

Additionally, the President addressed the growing concerns surrounding e-commerce and called on officials to deliver efficient and fair, customer-centric solutions to the issues currently faced in this area.

The meeting was attended by Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Senior Presidential Advisor on Digital Economy Dr. Hans Wijesuriya, Senior Additional Secretary to the President, Russell Aponso, Director General of Customs P.B.S.C. Nonis and other officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Digital Economy.

(President’s Media Division)

Several spells of showers will occur in the Western and Sabaragamuwa provinces and in the Kandy, Nuwara-Eliya, Galle and Matara districts today (July 09), the Department of Meteorology said.

A few showers may occur in the North-western province, it added.

Fairly strong winds of about 30-40kmph can be expected at times over the Western slopes of the central hills and in the Northern, North-central and North-western provinces and in the Trincomalee and Hambantota districts.