SL deploys military at fuel stations amidst shortage

Colombo, March 22 (IANS) Army personnel were deployed at all fuel stations run by Sri Lanka's state-owned Ceylon Petroleum Corporation on Tuesday amidst a shortage that led to long queues of consumers.Military spokesman Nilantha Premaratna said that military personnel were deployed to monitor the distribution of fuel at the filling stations and maintain law and order among the consumers, reports Xinhua news agency.He said two military men were deployed at every fuel station as people had to stand in queues for as long as several hours.Three people died with one person killed in recent days while standing in the fuel queues in different parts of the country, leading to a tense situation in several areas.The government has assured that fuel would be distributed sufficiently and the required stocks were now arriving without disruption in the country.Sri Lanka is facing a fuel shortage due to a foreign exchange crisis which the government says is being resolved by seeking economic relief from friendly nations.
--IANS ksk/

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