India sends 40,000 MT of petrol to crisis-hit Sri Lanka
Colombo: India on Monday said it has delivered around 40,000 metric tonnes of petrol to Sri Lanka, days after supplying 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel under the Indian credit line to help ease the acute fuel shortage in the debt-ridden island nation which is grappling with its worst economic crisis.
India extended an additional USD 500 million credit line to Sri Lanka last month to help the neighbouring country import fuel as it has been struggling to pay for imports after its foreign exchange reserves plummeted sharply in recent times, causing a devaluation of its currency and spiralling inflation.
"Commitment delivered!! Around 40000 MT of petrol under Indian assistance reached Colombo today, the Indian High Commission here said in a tweet.
India on Saturday provided another 40,000 metric tonnes of diesel to Sri Lanka under the credit line facility.
The Sri Lankan government has asked its non-essential staff to stay at home due to the petrol and diesel shortage. Lawmakers have asked the Parliament Speaker to give them accommodation in hotels as they cannot reach parliament from their homes in the absence of transport fuel.
A severe shortage of foreign reserves has led to long queues for fuel, cooking gas and other essentials while power cuts and soaring food prices have heaped misery on the people.
In a tragic incident, a two-day-old baby died on Sunday due to her father's inability to find petrol to take her to hospital from the central hill area of Haldummullla in the district of Badulla.
The baby was found to be undergoing a yellow discoloration of her skin. Her father was unable to find a vehicle to take her to the hospital due to the current fuel shortages experienced in the country.
Dr Janaka Pathirana, the judicial medical officer at the Diyathalawa hospital, said it was a preventable death.
The Sri Lankan government has warned that it will suspend the delivery of fuel if transporters are threatened, after an angry mob torched a petrol pump owner's house in the country's North Central Province.
