The petrol shortage reached a near crisis proportion yesterday with winding queues of vehicles at filling stations in the city and suburbs. Some sheds put up shutters with boards announcing that petrol was not available.

UNP parliamentarian Ravi Karunanayake, one of the litigants in the lawsuit before the Supreme Court, where the Court directed that the price of a litre of petrol should be reduced to Rs.100, said the government had failed to give the relief ordered by Court and the people were disgusted with the attitude of the government which reeked of unfairness as it was trying to make a profit out the sale of an essential product.

Several motorists, including three wheel drivers said they had to wait for hours in queues opposite petrol sheds to get their requirement of petrol. There was no problem, with diesel.

However, Ceylon Petroleum Corporation Chairman Asoka Thoradeniaya said 154 petrol sheds in Colombo and the suburbs supplied the motorists’ requirements of petrol and diesel yesterday and there was no shortage in the supplies of fuel. He was not able to explain why the motorists were queuing up.

He said the CPC would not allow anyone to create an artificial shortage of petrol and if there were any petrol sheds that refused to sell petrol, the public could complain to the CPC and prompt action against errant dealers would be taken.

Up to the time this edition went to press the government did not announce any reduction in the price of petrol though the Supreme Court decision was intimated in writing on Thursday evening.