Sri Lankan government has failed to pass benefit of declining world oil prices - UNP MP

Sri Lanka's main opposition United National party (UNP) says the government has failed to pass the benefit declining global oil prices to the local consumers. UNP General Secretary Tissa Attanayake told a press conference today that
the price of a barrel of oil had declined to US$ 83 last week and the government has failed to pass the benefit to the people. He noted that the Petroleum Minister has said that more crude oil could be imported from Iran since Sri Lanka is among the countries that have been exempted from the sanctions. He explained that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) was one of the key profit making state ventures in 1994. According to Attanayake, the CPC today is cash strapped and as a result has imprisoned the people with high fuel prices. He has noted that the government was burdening the people with high prices instead of addressing the real issue and providing relief to the people.