Colombo, June 30 (UNI) As a crippling fuel shortage has pushed Sri Lanka into a virtual lockdown, shelves in the supermarkets in Colombo and the suburbs have gone largely empty as suppliers are unable to provide stocks with vehicles that have no petrol or diesel.
The Daily Mirror reported on Thursday that people, particularly those in Colombo and the suburbs, are facing a risk of losing access to food and other essential stuff, with the retailers struggling to restock their shelves on time as they scramble to refuel their delivery fleets.
The shelves at the supermarkets have been mostly empty since the weekend. The store managers and staff blame the fuel shortage for not getting supplies on time. With the government further limiting fuel supplies from Wednesday, they fear their orders could get further delayed, the daily said.
It isn’t clear as of now whether the fleets engaged in food and other consumer goods delivery were made an essential service when providing the limited fuel stocks, which are estimated to be sufficient for only the next 10 days.
The report said that small grocers were also on the brink of closing shop after their supplies ran dry. The suppliers, who used to come every week or fortnight for deliveries, haven’t come for weeks now, the Mirror added.
Transparency International Sri Lanka has meanwhile filed a Fundamental Rights petition this week in the Supreme Court, calling for action against those who were directly and indirectly responsible for the collapse of the economy, throwing many millions into starvation and poverty.
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