Lanka IOC, the subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation in Sri Lanka, on Friday announced that it was suspending fuel distribution for two days in view of the mass public protest demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Saturday.
The LIOC has been the only retailer since the state oil entity Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) pumps went dry on June 27 due to the forex crisis that has led to an unprecedented economic crisis in the island nation of over 22 million people.
CPC has not been able to order any fuel shipments since their aborted order on June 24.
“We have been advised to discontinue our supply operations to sheds with immediate effect in view of the planned protests in Sri Lanka,” a tweet from the LIOC Managing Director Manoj Gupta said.
LIOC will suspend fuel distribution on Friday and Saturday, he said.
However, he said LIOC will continue distributing supplies from Trincomalee to the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) and its valued industries, the Colombo Gazette reported.
The LIOC did a restricted supply to consumers with motorists having to spend several days in miles long queues to reach retail stations.
The Sri Lankan government is exploring options to purchase discounted oil from Russia, as the island nation desperately looks to replenish its dwindling fuel stocks amid an unprecedented economic crisis due to a crippling shortage of foreign exchange reserves.
Saturday's protest by the public marks the three months since the original protest which began on April 9 opposite Rajapaksa's presidential office.
The protesters demand President Rajapaksa's resignation along with the prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe as both have not been able to address the economic crisis.
All opposition parties and civil groups have extended support to Saturday's mass protest who claim that they would remain in the vicinity of the Rajapaksa official residence until he agreed to resign.