Sri Lanka to introduce weekly fuel quota system

COLOMBO, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will introduce a weekly fuel quota system for vehicles given the difficulties in purchasing fuel, the energy minister said on Sunday.

All motorists will be registered at the closest gas station, and quotas will be introduced from the first week of July, said Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera.

"We have no choice but to register the motorists at filling stations and give them a guaranteed weekly quota until we would be able to stabilize the financial situation, restore 24-hour power supply and uninterrupted supply of fuel," the minister said.

Given the foreign exchange shortages, state-owned fuel distributor Ceylon Petroleum Corporation only imports fuel to last for a week, Wijesekera said.

However, some motorists and other individuals collect fuel for a month or even more for their machinery and generators, the minister said.

Sri Lanka has been facing fuel shortages since February, and queueing for fuel has become a part of people's daily life.