Govt makes emergency gas purchase to meet shortage

The Finance Ministry says it has made arrangements to make an emergency purchase of 12,000 metric tons of domestic gas in order to meet the prevailing domestic gas shortage in the market.
 
Accordingly, the Litro Gas Company which comes under the purview of the Finance Ministry will import this stock of gas and will take steps to release them to the market with immediate effect, it said.

The ministry stated that a shipload carrying 3,600 metric tons of gas docked in the Colombo Port last Saturday (02) and other tanker carrying 3,600 metric tons of gas will arrive in the Port on Tuesday (05). 

In addition, another shipload of gas carrying 3600 metric tons will arrive in the country coming Saturday (09) as well, it said.

At the same time, under the emergency purchase, placed under the ordinary procurement procedure, 6,000 metric tons of gas will reach the country within next week.

“Accordingly, the gas shortage that was created due to the short supply of gas by a private gas company will end in this week. Therefore the Government requests the consumers not to panic about the current short supply of domestic gas,” the statement said.

In addition, the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has raided about 40 gas sales outlets which exploited this gas shortage, hid their stocks and sold them at higher prices later. 

The Consumer Affairs Authority has taken measures to increase the number of such raids in the next few days and legal action will be taken against such unscrupulous domestic gas agents, the ministry said.