Hundreds of Sri Lankans, including doctors and bankers, marched on Wednesday to demand that the government tackle a chronic gasoline shortage at the heart of the biggest economic crisis in decades or resign.
As a result of weeks of street protests amid cascading problems such as power outages and food and medical shortages, the government changed last month after nine people were killed and about 300 were injured.
Having only enough fuel for approximately a week, the government on Tuesday imposed a two-week supply restriction on essential services such as railroads, buses, and the health sector.
Despite being categorized as essential workers, doctors, nurses, and medical personnel report having trouble finding enough fuel to get to work on time.
H. M. Mediwatta, secretary of one of Sri Lanka’s largest nursing organizations, the All Island Nurses Union, told reporters, “This is an impossible scenario, and the government must provide a solution.”
After Covid-19 ravaged the tourism-dependent economy and reduced remittances from abroad workers, South Asia is experiencing its worst economic crisis since its independence in 1948.
The problem has been exacerbated by rising energy prices, populist tax cuts, and a seven-month ban on the import of artificial fertilizers that decimated agriculture last year.
Bankers, teachers, and the self-employed were prevented from marching to the president’s residence by riot police who had erected barricades to protect the area.
Joseph Stalin, an official of a teachers’ union in the group, stated, “Things have gotten unpleasant for the common man.” “We want this administration to leave”
Adding that he will continue the protests, he vowed to do so “Today, schools, government institutions, and everything else are closed. No fuel, nobody can get fuel. People are confronting significant challenges.”
More than one hundred medical personnel from the national hospital in Colombo marched to the office of the prime minister to demand that the government provide fresh supplies of fuel and medicine, especially life-saving pharmaceuticals, which have been depleted for months.
On Wednesday and Thursday, public health inspectors and other health service personnel are also on strike.
The island’s foreign exchange reserves to import necessities such as food, medication, gasoline, and diesel are practically depleted.
As the sense of crisis intensifies, numerous individuals attempting to exit the nation by boat have been caught.
The government is also seeking assistance abroad, from the Middle East to Russia.
Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera met with Qatar’s minister of state for energy affairs and the CEO of Qatar Energy on Tuesday to obtain fuel. Additionally, he seeks a credit line from a Qatari development fund.
This weekend, another Sri Lankan official will visit Russia in pursuit of energy deals.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said on Twitter that US Vice President Joe Biden has given $20 million to feed over 800,000 Sri Lankan children and 27,000 pregnant and nursing moms for the next 15 months.
Asia Securities predicted that shortages of petrol and other essentials, shrinking reserves, and limited fiscal space will continue to be significant issues for the remainder of the year.
It projected the economy could fall by 7.5% to 9.0% in the year, above the prior estimate of a drop of approximately 5.5%. The economy expanded by 3.3% in 2017.
This, along with limited US dollar liquidity and rising interest rates, is expected to impair economic output over the medium term, the report stated.
A team from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is in Colombo to discuss a possible $3 billion bailout package. Sri Lanka aims to obtain a staff-level agreement by Thursday, but it is unlikely that this will result in quick funding.
