Scarcity: Sri Lanka deploys troops to organise petrol distribution

Sri Lanka says it has deployed soldiers to filling stations across the country to intervene in the ongoing crisis caused by petrol scarcity.

According to government officials, the soldiers would help to organise the distribution of petrol to residents as part of efforts to address the build-up of queues at filling stations.

Sri Lanka is said to be battling a foreign exchange crisis that has led to the devaluation of its currency.

This has led to a rise in prices of essential commodities, affecting payments for essential imports such as food, medicine, and fuel — prompting the government to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

For weeks, citizens of the country have been finding it difficult to access petrol with queues building up at pumps. At least two elderly people have died while queueing up for the commodity.

Officials said the decision to position troops at petrol stations came after the incidents.

“At least two army personnel will be deployed at every fuel pump,” Nilantha Premaratne, military spokesperson, told Reuters.

Premaratne, however, added that the soldiers would only help to organise distribution and would not be involved in crowd control.

Ramesh Pathirana, a government spokesperson, was also quoted as saying that the decision to deploy the military was in response to complaints of stockpiling and inefficient distribution.

“The military has been deployed to help the public, not to curtail their human rights,” he added.