Dec 19, Colombo: A fuel shortage resulted in Sri Lanka due to the clash between the executive and judiciary branches of the government is spreading further. According to the reports from all over the country there is no fuel, especially petrol in any dealer station at the moment.
The fuel station owners have not ordered enough fuel stocks due to the confusion arose following the Supreme Court's ruling to reduce the price of petrol and government's refusal to do so, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation said.
However, the fuel delivering department of the CPC said that they have already delivered enough stocks island wide by last evening. The CPC hopes to deliver the fuel stocks even on Sunday to prevent the fuel shortage in the country.
Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Wednesday ordered the government to reduce the price of petrol to Rs. 100 per liter. But the Cabinet of Ministers yesterday decided not to change fuel prices after holding a special meeting on the issue saying that they did not receive any official order from the SC.
Political observers say the Supreme Court is overstepping its boundaries to clash with the executive branch lately. Lately Supreme Court has issued several controversial rulings that were highlighted by media and political circles.
Meanwhile local media reports say that some prominent ministers in the cabinet are proposing to impeach the Chief Justice for overstepping his authority. Reportedly some ministers were against such a harsh move and senior presidential advisor Basil Rajapaksa had recommended to solve the differences through dialogue.
A similar impeachment motion against the CJ was brought in 2001. The motion, signed by 77 members of the United National Party and the leftist JVP was presented but it lapsed with the dissolution of parliament by then President Chandrika Kumaratunga.
Some political analysts see the fuel controversy as a plot by the Sri Lanka main opposition party, UNP to deprive the government of its revenues and topple the government. They say there is a hand of the LTTE behind the recent UNP moves to stop the on-going war effort against LTTE.
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