The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is raiding places that claim to dispose of waste oil while the Power and Energy Ministry is to take steps to prevent unlicensed products from entering the fuel market.  

Speaking to The Sunday Morning, CPC Chairman Saliya Wickramasuriya said that the CPC had been raiding and sampling products from certain places that purport to dispose of waste oil, which should only be incinerated in accordance with international norms. 

“The ministry will be taking steps to curtail illicit products from entering the market from these unlicensed sources,” he added. 

Lanka Private Bus Owners’ Association Chairman Gemunu Wijeratne told The Sunday Morning that the association’s members had been facing an issue of low-quality diesel in recent months, which had reduced the number of kilometres they were able to travel on a litre of diesel.

“The CPC has changed neither its standards nor import procedures. Our product is commingled with that of other retailers. Since their product is also tested by our lab at point of import, we are confident that their standards have been maintained too,” said Wickramasuriya. 

In multiple instances in the recent past, consumers have observed that low-quality fuel has been reaching them, especially during the fuel crisis in 2022, when allegations surfaced that fuel was being watered down.