Oil Crisis, Sri Lanka Sets up Fuel Rationing System per Week

JAKARTA - The Sri Lankan government has imposed rationing of cooking fuel (per week/week) for public vehicles amid growing concerns over global oil supplies.

The QR code-based rationing system came into effect from Sunday (15/3), according to local media reports Daily Mirror.

As reported by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, March 17, the ration of fuel for livestock is given as much as 15 liters for cars, 5 liters for motorcycles, 15 liters for three-wheeled vehicles, and 60 liters for buses.

Local residents will not be able to buy fuel without a valid QR code, and all vehicle owners will have to register their vehicles through the official government website.

The Sri Lankan government said the move was to prevent hoarding of fuel and "panic buying", as well as to ensure fair distribution of limited fuel stocks and keep basic economic activities running.

The implementation of the QR code system resulted in long queues at a number of gas stations in Sri Lanka, especially on the first day the system was in effect.

According to local officials, Sri Lanka has a stock of fuel oil for 27 days and a stock of diesel fuel for 33 days.

Furthermore, the association of government medical officers of Sri Lanka, GMOA, warned that the allocated fuel quota was not enough for doctors to carry out their duties properly.

GMOA spokesman, dr. Chamil Wijesinghe, said that the ration of 15 liters of fuel for cars was still insufficient for medical personnel to travel and respond to emergency calls.

Moreover, many doctors live far from their workplaces and often work with an on-call system, so they are required to be ready to leave in a short time.

Despite the rise in diesel prices and concerns over oil supplies, Sri Lanka's energy and power ministry has assured that electricity supplies will remain stable.

Local officials confirmed that Sri Lanka has enough fuel for the operation of thermal power plants, while hydropower and solar power plants also help ensure the security of the electricity supply.

Sri Lanka is also stepping up diplomatic efforts to secure additional fuel supplies from India, Russia, and China.

Meanwhile, in Malaysia, local tourism industry players are asking the government to provide temporary fuel subsidies for tourist transportation operators because the increase in fuel prices has caused operating costs to soar.

As reported by Bernama, industry representatives admitted that many bus and van tour operators had signed operating contracts several months ago based on the lower fuel prices previously.

A number of Asian countries have also established a home-based learning and working scheme to mitigate the possibility of energy shortages.