SLMA too wants govt. to quit to pave way for all-party administration 

By Shiran Ranasinghe and Chaminda Silva

The Minister of Power and Energy claimed orders had been placed for 10 fuel ships, but not a single would arrive before 10 July, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) sources said.The CPC does not have dollars to pay for suppliers and it doesn’t have rupees to pay its employees, a top official said.

“In the last few months, all our income generating sources have stopped. We are paying workers with an overdraft.

We must pay about USD 800 million to fuel shipments we have purchased earlier,” the official said.

The Island earns that on 06 July about 600 workers attached to Ceylon Petroleum Storage Terminals Limited (CPSTL) received promotions and salary increments.

There are 2800 workers at CPSTL, and Rs. 25 million is needed to pay their allowances alone, according to sources.Some workers, who have over 10 years of service, attached to the Sapugaskanda Oil Refinery have received promotions recently while the refinery remains closed. These are employees who were recruited during the second term of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

“The government must ensure that there are adequate amounts of crude oil to keep the Refinery functioning. This will generate significant income to the CPC, in rupees and in dollars,” the official said.