Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahuman warned the Government that the situation in Colombo is very volatile and that it won’t be long before the people take to the streets unless this issue is addressed. Therefore, he urged the Prime Minister to address this matter with utmost urgency and prevent another catastrophe.
Speaking during the Debate on the current crisis in the country in Parliament yesterday, Rahuman said, “Listen carefully, the situation in the Colombo City is very serious. The people in Colombo don’t have gas over the past three weeks. Even the small shops that the people can obtain food from in the Colombo City are closed without gas. These people who live in the city have no means of finding firewood to cook their food. Moreover, over the past several weeks, they have not even been supplied with kerosene oil. Therefore, it’s inevitable that the residents of Colombo will get to the streets very soon. When that happens, don’t blame anyone. Therefore, kindly provide them with at least kerosene oil so that they can cook their daily meals. Many of them live in flats and they can’t cook with firewood,” he said, urging the Prime Minister to look into this issue and take steps to provide them with at least kerosene oil for their survival.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe admitted that the people living in Colombo are frustrated over the shortage of diesel. “According to the information we receive, they are lacking the funds to meet even their daily food requirements. However, we are planning on discussing this matter next week,” he said.
However, PM Wickremesinghe noted that the food crisis is not only affecting Sri Lanka but the entire world. He said that Sri Lanka is among the countries, together with Afghanistan predicted to suffer severe food shortages. He suggested to bring in a new budget next week and allocate funds for the affected areas for food. However, he invited all Parliamentarians to join in this effort and work together to get through this crisis.
To meet this impending food crisis, the Prime Minister suggested to cultivate all vacant government lands under the Agriculture Ministry.
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