PETROL, DIESEL PRICES DOWN BY RS.5
As announced by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in Parliament yesterday, fuel prices including Petrol (Octane 92, 95), and Diesel (Auto, Super) were reduced by Rs.5 per litre with effect from midnight yesterday, Labour, Foreign Employment & Petroleum Resources Minister Gamini Lokuge said.
Addressing a media briefing at the Labour Department, Minister Lokuge said the previous government had taken measures to put people under pressure by burdening them with heavy taxes. Accordingly, Lanka Petrol (Octane 92) was reduced by Rs.5 per litre and the revised price is Rs.140 a litre, Lanka Petrol (Octane 95) Euro 4 was reduced by Rs.5 per litre and will be sold at Rs.164. A litre of Lanka Super Diesel four Star Euro 4 will be reduced by Rs.5 and the revised price is Rs.136. A litre of Lanka Auto Diesel will be sold at Rs.111 after the price reduction by Rs.5. However, the price of Lanka Kerosene will remain at Rs.70. “When President Maithripala Sirisena appointed former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new Prime Minister, he made a statement to the people claiming to raise the country’s economy and provide facilities to them.
The fuel price had been increased with the use of a fuel pricing formula. There would be no more fuel pricing formula in the future,” he said. “When Mr Rajapaksa assumed duties as the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister the fuel price was reduced. Then he had decided to reduce the fuel price from tonight,” he said.
The people would be able to gain fuel price relief from all Ceylon Petroleum Company (CEYPETCO) filling stations. As the Ministry, we request the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to reduce the fuel price and to grant that relief to the country. “The Prime Minister had instructed me to look on other consumer products which would grant reliefs and the Ministry is looking forward to giving more fuel price reductions in the future,” he said. “We are not misleading the people as the previous government did. We give these reliefs because we can manage the economy. Our government will not dance to the tune of foreign countries as what Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe did. There will be gas price reductions in the future. During the last cabinet meeting, the cabinet Ministers had decided re-introduce the distribution of school uniform material free of charge instead of issuing vouchers to students to purchase them in the market. Earlier the vouchers were introduced by former education minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam,” he said.