New fuel for three wheelers

Thushara Kaluarachchi

COLOMBO: Twenty five threewheeler owners were issued with 10 litres each of the new alternative low cost fuel RON87 on Tuesday at the Petroleum and Petroleum Resource Development Ministry, on Sir Ernest de Silva Mawatha.

The event took place in the presence of Railways, Transport, Petroleum and Petroleum Resources Development Minister A.H.M. Fowzie.

He handed over the new fuel to the threewheeler owners. The threewheeler drivers was reminded that the relief provided by the low cost fuel must be forwarded to the public.

Several threewheeler owners at the event were asked to give their opinion on the new fuel.

M.T.S. Thiyaz, an elderly man working in the area, agreed that if the low cost fuel is indeed a success, they would not hesitate to pass on the relief provided by the cheaper fuel to the public. "Yes. If this works out, we are definitely going to cut down our charges."

H. Nazeer, another three wheel driver from Maradana, readily agreed.

B.L. Indika (Grandpass) said: "We have to compare the new fuel to the old first.

We have to make a judgement on the mileage and then only can we decide whether to cut back on customer costs or not."

Other three wheeler owners, not present at the event, were however more sceptical about the new fuel. A three wheelers driver working in the Colombo 7 area questioned the availability of the new fuel. "Will there be new filling stations for this new fuel, or would the existing petrol sheds sell this new fuel ?," he asked.

The Minister made it clear that this introduction of RON87, would be one of the very first steps towards cutting down the cost of living in Sri Lanka, "My intention in introducing this new fuel, is to bring down the cost of living in Sri Lanka. While we reduce the prices on one side, at the same time we are generating self employment on the other."