Sri Lanka's cabinet has approved a proposal to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the relevant government agencies in order to implement the draft "Declaration of Consumer Rights and Responsibilities" and "Procedure for handling complaints and resolving disputes".
It is proposed to establish an independent, transparent mechanism for receiving and resolving consumer complaints under the supervision of the Ministry of Energy and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka.
The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka, the Consumer Affairs Authority, the Sri Lanka Customs, the Sri Lanka Police, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, the Institute of Industrial Technology and other relevant government agencies will be involved in the implementation of the proposed system.
Initially, the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation was responsible for all activities related to the petroleum industry. However, a number of parties are currently engaged in such activities.
Although the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka has been appointed as the regulatory body for the petroleum industry, its role is limited to advising and assisting the Ministry on policy and regulation of the lubricant industry.
Currently, no practical mechanism has been established to protect the rights of petroleum consumers.