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Fowzie says no to concessions: Private busmen threaten to strike from midnight

Eighteen thousand private bus owners have threatened to strike from midnight today demanding a fuel subsidy in the wake of the recent fuel price hike. They are caught up in a tug-of-war with Transport Minister A. H. M. Fowzie with the latter’s refusal to grant any concession.

“We can settle any problem with President Mahinda Rajapaksa. But the Transport Minister is out for confrontation and we are forced to take our buses off the roads”, Private Bus Owners’ Association President, Gamunu Wijeratne told the Sunday Observer.

Minister Fowzie has rejected the bus owners’ demand for a fuel subsidy or reimburse the 5.2% diesel increase. Minister Fowzie had phoned Wijeratne yesterday morning that he cannot allow a fuel subsidy or any more bus fare increases as it will badly affect the ordinary people who are already struggling with the high cost-of-living.

“I told Wijeratne that another bus fare increase will burden the people. I asked him to come out with the demands which would be considered later, the Minister said.

Minister Fowzie told the Sunday Observer that he will personally hold Wijeratne responsible for any acts of sabotage as strikers have threatened to attack CTB and private buses which were ready to operate tomorrow despite the strike.

However, the Presidential Secretariat was yesterday working to get the bus crews behind wheels requesting them to call off the strike until the President returned.

When contacted Wijeratne said that oil prices have declined in the world market from US $ 78 to US $ 62 at present. Therefore, the fuel prices can be reduced in the country. That is why the Lanka IOC reduced its fuel hike by one rupee on Friday night. “So why can’t the Minister reduce the fuel prices. He cannot reduce because CPC overheads have increased as a result of hundreds of new recruits”, he said.

When asked why the CPC cannot reduce the fuel prices in the wake of declining world market oil prices, the Minister said that the CPC purchased oil two months ago and has to sell oil at the same price still incurring millions of rupees in losses a day.

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