By The Pulseline News Desk
The country’s shortage of an estimated 250,000 to 300,000 domestic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders is expected to ease within seven to eight days, with the Government planning investigations into reports that cylinders are disappearing from the market soon after being released.
Deputy Trade Minister R. M. Jayawardena has said the shortage resulted from a delay of approximately three and a half days in the arrival, unloading and distribution of an LPG shipment.
He has told the media that the shipment had arrived about two days later than expected, followed by a further delay of around one and a half days in unloading the gas and transporting it for distribution.
Sri Lanka typically releases approximately 80,000 domestic 12.5-kilogram LPG cylinders to the market daily. The delays had therefore created an estimated shortfall of between 250,000 and 300,000 cylinders, Jayawardena has said.
To address the supply gap, state-owned Litro Gas Lanka Limited has been releasing 100,000 cylinders daily since the morning of October 23, increasing distribution above the usual daily volume.
According to the Deputy Minister, the additional supplies to eliminate the shortage within the next seven to eight days. However, he has expressed concern over reports that cylinders were selling out almost immediately after reaching distribution points. “There is no way that they should be selling out immediately like that,” he has said.
Jayawardena has said the Government would ask the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) to investigate whether cylinders were being withheld or concealed, contributing to the continuing difficulties faced by consumers.
He has distinguished between commercial and household demand, noting that cylinders used by businesses could be exhausted within two or three days, while a standard household cylinder generally lasted between two and a half and three months.
The Government is considering islandwide raids to determine whether distributors or other parties are deliberately withholding stocks. The CAA could also be asked to coordinate with District and Divisional Secretaries, if necessary, he has said.
Consumers in several parts of the country have reported difficulties obtaining domestic LPG cylinders in recent days, with queues forming at some distribution points as households struggle to secure supplies.
Although the increased daily releases are intended to restore normal market availability, the reported disappearance of cylinders has raised questions about whether distribution delays alone account for the difficulties experienced by consumers.
The effectiveness of the planned inspections and the continuation of higher daily releases will be crucial to restoring regular access to domestic cooking gas.
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