Fuel prices burn over-burdened masses
Twhether the two passengers travelled to any other location before arriving at the hotel and also whether the driver had provided any substance to the players.
He said that they were confident of locating the three-wheeler soon, enabling them to get more information required for the investigations.
The hotel room had been checked and nothing suspicious had been found. Police have recorded statements by hotel staff.
Police have also sought CCTV footage from the CR& FC club where the two sportsmen had played a friendly rugby game and later had dinner. here is more pain to come from the sudden, sharp increase in oil and gas prices by the Government in such a brief period, although crude oil prices in global markets have been rising gradually over several months.
Crude oil prices in London and New York climbed to new record highs this week as of Friday.
The prices of daily necessities, already heavily taxed by a fiscally irresponsible Government, will rise further.
In rural areas, where 75% of Sri Lankans live, people are at their wits’ end about unbearable costs.
For the poor, the sudden increase in the price of a litre of kerosene by Rs 57 has come as a thunderbolt strike. Even in Colombo, where a considerable number of people still use kerosene, the extra cost has come to bite. Some are now buying kerosene on a daily basis in small quantities.
Amid the outrage and backlash, the embattled Government promised a kerosene subsidy for fishermen and Samurdhi beneficiaries.
The Government failed to devise a fuel pricing mechanism and is only now scrambling to do so, the Sunday Times learns.
Private bus unions demanded, and secured this week, a 12.5% increase in bus fares after threatening to launch a countrywide strike starting Thursday. The minimum fare was raised from Rs
“The CCTV footage analysed so far shows the two British nationals being dropped off at Kingsbury Hotel where they were staying, but the number plate of the vehicle is not clear. We are trying to locate the three-wheeler,
10 to Rs 12. Earlier, the unions had flatly rejected a 6.5% fare increase approved by Cabinet and demanded a 15% increase, before reaching a last minute compromise.
The new price formula is due to be effective from next week after Cabinet approval. A proposal is due to be presented to Cabinet on Tuesday.
As things stand now, however, Sri Lanka Transport Board buses are charging more than private operators. This was after the SLTB went ahead with the 6.56% raise approved by the Cabinet from last Wednesday.
SLTB chairman Ramal Siriwardene, said that if the Cabinet decides to raise bus fares by 12.5%, the SLTB will increase fares accordingly. “Private and state bus fares will be the same after Tuesday,” he said.
Private bus unions, meanwhile, are content with a 12.5% increase, though they warn of further increases based on world crude oil prices.
The general secretary of the All Island Private Bus Owners’ Federation, Anjana Priyanjith, claimed they will not call strikes for a year provided that fuel prices remain steady.
Unions had requested a 15% increase considering the taxes imposed on tyres and equipment by the Government in addition to maintenance costs and the depreciation of the rupee, Mr Priyanjith said.
Three-wheeler operators meanwhile, have increased the fare for the first kilometer from Rs 50 to Rs 60.
Container transporters say charges will be raised by 15% effective today. Prices of lubricants, batteries, tyres and other motor vehicle accessories and parts have been going up steadily over the past several years and the fuel price increase, which came on top of that, made it impossible to continue without an adjustment, Nimal Amarasekere, president of the Association of Container Transporters said.
He noted that container transporters will decide on whether to reduce charges or increase them further, depending on the next fuel price revision. Mr Amarasekere said he could not speculate on how the rise in transport charges will filter through to the prices of consumer goods.
The rise in fares, kerosene, and LP gas are impacting on small businesses, too.
N K Jayawardena, president of the All Ceylon Bakery Owners’ Association, hinted of an increase in the price of bakery products.
He pointed out that the price of 12.5 kilogram LP gas cylinder was increased by Rs 245 last month. There are also smaller eateries that depend on kerosene for cooking. “We will convene a meeting next week to make a decision,” Mr Jayawardena said.
The price increase will be a burden on people in the plantations, said Central Provincial Councilor Radhakrishnan Rajaram. Many people use kerosene for their daily needs, including for cooking, electricity, and for water pumps. “This should not have happened and they should have thought about the people before taking this decision,” he stressed.
Fisheries unions have already staged protests demanding concessions.
Farmer organisations are also agitating for relief.
Namal Karunaratne, National Organizer of the All Island Farmers’ Federation, said farmers will gather in Colombo on Tuesday for a large scale protest. “The protest in Colombo will be a starting point for other protests which we plan to hold countrywide,” he emphasized.
The new price formula is due to be effective from next week after Cabinet approval. A proposal is due to be presented to Cabinet on Tuesday.