Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2021-03-29

Introduction of a mechanism for the protection of consumers of petroleum

At the initial stage, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) was responsible for all petroleum industry related activities. However, a number of parties are currently involved in these activities. Even though the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has been appointed as the regulatory body of the petroleum industry, the functions of the said Commission has been limited to providing advice to and assisting the Ministry regarding policy and regulation of the lubricant industry. Under this condition, a practical mechanism has not been established for the protection of rights of the consumers of petroleum. Therefore, it has been proposed to establish an independent and transparent mechanism for handling and resolving consumer complaints under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). In the implementation of the said mechanism, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), Consumer Affairs Authority, Sri Lanka Customs, Sri Lanka Police, Sri Lanka Standards Institute, Industrial Technology Institute and other relevant Government Institutes will join. Accordingly, the proposal made by the Minister of Energy to implement the drafted 'Statement of Rights and Obligations of Consumers' and the 'Procedure for Handling Compliants and Resolution of Disputes' and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant Government Institutes for the purpose, was approved by the Cabinet.