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Fuel beyond QR and rationing

08 Sep 2022

In the face of continuous demands from vehicle owners, especially three-wheeler drivers, Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera has stated that a special category for fuel quota increases would be tested on selected private and public sector entities. This decision had been taken at a meeting with development partners and stakeholders yesterday (7), which focused on reviewing the national fuel pass system, or the quick response (QR) code system. This decision also came in a context where various other similar programmes, such as the tourist fuel pass, are scheduled to be introduced. The issue of allocating adequate fuel for different sectors – three-wheeler drivers that are demanding more fuel than the amount they were allocated through the Quick Response (QR) system, for example – was alleviated after the introduction of the QR system. Many have been demanding that the Government provide an equitable amount of fuel, not an equal amount of fuel for vehicles of the same category.  Wijesekera has already given his word that attention has been paid to providing an adequate amount of fuel to consumers engaged in different professions, despite them having the same kind of vehicle. This issue was raised mainly by three-wheeler and cab drivers and by those engaged in transporting goods. They have raised valid points, highlighting that people who have the same kind of vehicle do not do the same job, and that therefore, they require different amounts of fuel. The best example perhaps is three-wheeler owners, some of whom transport people and goods, while others merely use those vehicles for household needs. The inability to get an equitable amount of fuel has already led to several issues, most of which are linked to bribes. Due to the inability to obtain adequate fuel to perform their jobs, some vehicle owners, especially three-wheeler owners, have resorted to bribing fuel station operators to fill their tanks.  At the same time, many vehicle owners have complained about the QR system not working as it should, which they said has in turn forced them to also bribe fuel station operators. The Government’s plans to require three-wheeler operators to register at the nearest Police station also attracted great criticism, as it could also push three-wheeler operators to bribe fuel station owners to get adequate fuel, in the event that they had to get fuel from a station located outside of their respective Police area. Most importantly, the inability to allocate adequate fuel for different sectors is extending fuel queues and fuelling black markets, which is likely to impede the Government’s attempts at bringing some kind of stability to the fuel distribution process. It is true that the Government has already initiated discussions with various stakeholders, including three-wheeler associations. However, with the QR system having been in place for some time, it is high time that the Government goes beyond the QR system that is already in place. The system needs to improve in order to meet the reasonable fuel demands of the people. The failure to do so will prolong the fuel crisis despite the authorities’ admirable steps to address the same.  Updating the systems that are already in place with the emerging needs is a need of the hour.


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