LPBOA urges authorities to provide super diesel

Irangika RANGE

Lanka Private Bus Owners Association (LPBOA) President Gemunu Wijeratne yesterday urged the authorities to provide super diesel at normal prices to private bus operators because considerable number of private buses suffered permanent and temporary damage due to inferior quality diesel presently available in the market.

Addressing a media briefing in Colombo yesterday, he said about 700 buses had been partially and around 700 buses permanently damaged due to the use of substandard diesel.

Therefore a shortage of private buses would affect students sitting the G.C.E A/L examination starting on Monday.

"All the stalled buses are new buses and the filling station pumps do not have the filter system to clean contaminated fuel.

"However, the bus owners had cleaned and refitted the injectors which cost them about Rs.75,000, he said. " We have been lobbying the authorities to take steps to solve this problem with immediate effect," he said.

He said that the CPC did not have the technology to carry out quality control tests on imported fuel and we have urged them to send samples abroad to have them tested. 'But it will take a long time and that is why we request from the authorities to provide this immediate relief ," he noted.

"We have no confidence in the committee appointed to look into the issue of substandard diesel being sold in the market.

He said that Petroleum Industries Ministry should have appointed an independent committee so that there would be no bias.

Wijeratne further said that his association would take National Transport Commission and Transport Authorities in Western, Central and Sabaragamuwa Provinces before the courts for not complying with previous court orders.

"A number of incidents of fraud or corruption have taken place in these institutions in the past two years pertaining to the issue of route permits," he further said. He also admired the functions performed by the Uva and Southern Provinces Transport Authorities related to the passenger transport services which is at satisfactory level compared to the transport authorities in other provinces.