Feb 23, Colombo: Energy Minister Udaya Gammanpila told parliament today (23) that the government was not prepared to increase fuel prices within the next three months. He was responding to a question raised by MP Hesha Vithanage seeking an oral answer.

The government of good governance increased fuel prices for the last time in September 2019, and the fuel price has not been increased so far under the current government, the Minister said. Fuel prices in the international market have also gone up. However, the government has taken steps to control fuel prices, he said.

MP Hesha Vithanage questioned Minister Udaya Gammanpila on whether the Trincomalee oil tanks handed over to India would be retaken.

The Minister said that the government of good governance had taken steps to hand over all the 100 tanks in Trincomalee to India in 2013 and that the present government will take steps to obtain a majority of those tanks in consultation with India. The rest of the tanks are controlled by the Indian Oil Company, he said.

The Minister also noted that one media institution had made a mistake in translating his speech from Sinhala to English.