Sri Lankan President Dissanayake thanks Indian PM Modi for fuel shipment
Colombo (PTI): Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Sunday thanked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for sending an oil shipment to ease the fuel supply disruptions in the Island nation caused by the West Asia conflict.
A shipment of 38,000 MT of fuel, comprising 20,000 MT of diesel and 18,000 MT of petrol, arrived in Colombo on Saturday, as an emergency support through the local operation of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Lanka IOC (LIOC).
“Spoke with PM @narendramodi a few days ago about the fuel supply disruptions Sri Lanka is facing due to the Middle East conflict. Grateful for India’s swift support. 38,000 MT of fuel arrived in Colombo yesterday,” Dissanayake posted on social media.
The Sri Lankan President also thanked External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for his support.
“My thanks also to EAM @DrSJaishankar for his close coordination”, he said. Earlier, Sri Lanka also held talks with Jaishankar to seek assistance on energy sustainability in view of the volatile situation in West Asia.
The LIOC had requested rescue supplies from India after encountering problems in securing fuel from their Middle Eastern and Singapore suppliers.
Since March 15, Sri Lanka has imposed a quota for fuel to avoid long queues formed by hoarders.
Several who had hoarded fuel were charged in courts in different parts of the country.
The energy ministry had confirmed the availability of fuel until the end of May.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
