Sri Lankans furious over fuel shortages have staged protests, blocked roads and confronted police
Bicycle demand hikes in Sri Lanka amid fuel shortage. Twitter/@ANI
Sri Lankans are choosing bicycles instead of cars for travelling as a crippling fuel shortage continues in the country.
According to Reuters, bicycle shop owner Victor Perera said that his stock is running out.
“The import of bicycles has also now been banned. So, the shops are selling their imported stock at even higher prices. Now there are no more bicycles. The ladies’ models and the standard model are no longer available. I don’t think new bicycles are available for even another week,” he said.
Thusitha Kahaduwa, a doctor, is among thousands of Sri Lankans switching to bicycles to commute and go about their daily lives since the cash-strapped country was hit with a crippling fuel shortage, resulting in long lines at petrol stations.
Kahaduwa, who used to drive his own car to work, said it was the crippling long fuel queues that convinced him to finally buy a bicycle. Since then, he hasn’t pumped petrol in three weeks.
“First it was two or three hours in a petrol queue, then it was four, six and up to eight hours. About three weeks ago, I was in a petrol queue for three days,” he said.
Kahaduwa has outfitted his bike with carriers for groceries and spends hours cycling around Colombo on a daily basis to see patients and conduct his post-graduate research.
A few years ago Sri Lanka’s economy was growing strongly enough to provide jobs and financial security for most. It’s now in a state of collapse, dependent on aid from India and other countries as its leaders desperately try to negotiate a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.
The collapse has led to political turmoil and protests, and on Saturday demonstrators stormed the residences of both President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. The speaker of Parliament later said Rajapaksa had agreed to resign Wednesday, and Wickremesinghe said he too would step down once a new government is formed.
Sri Lanka’s crisis is largely the result of staggering economic mismanagement combined with fallout from the pandemic, which along with 2019 terrorism attacks devastated its important tourism industry. The coronavirus crisis also disrupted the flow of remittances from Sri Lankans working abroad.
The government took on big debts and slashed taxes in 2019, depleting the treasury just as COVID-19 hit. Foreign exchange reserves plummeted, leaving Sri Lanka unable to pay for imports or defend its beleaguered currency, the rupee.
Ordinary Sri Lankans — especially the poor — are paying the price. They wait for days for cooking gas and petrol in lines that can extend more than 2 kilometers (1.2 miles). Sometimes, like Chamila Nilanthi, they go home with nothing.
At least 16 people have died so far waiting for gasoline. One was a 63-year-old man found inside his vehicle on the outskirts of Colombo. Unable to get fuel, some have given up driving and resorted to bicycles or public transportation to get around.
The government has closed urban schools and some universities and is giving civil servants every Friday off for three months to conserve fuel and allow them time to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Unable to find cooking gas, many Sri Lankans are turning to kerosene stoves or cooking over open fires.
Affluent families can use electric induction ovens for cooking, unless the power is out. But most Sri Lankans can’t afford those stoves or higher electric bills.
Sri Lankans furious over fuel shortages have staged protests, blocked roads and confronted police. Fights have broken out when some try to jump ahead in fuel lines. Police have attacked unruly crowds.
According to HT Auto, Sri Lanka has introduced fuel-rationing system in petrol pumps. In this system, tokens will be issued to consumers, allotting them a pre-defined quantity of petrol or diesel per week. With the assistance of the Sri Lankan army and police, token numbers would be given to the public to fill limited quantity of fuel.
With inputs from agencies
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