Colombo Additional Magistrate Darshimana Premaratne questioned LAUGFS Gas and the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) about the solution being offered to consumers amid the continued interruption of gas supplies.
The question was raised when a case filed by the Consumer Affairs Authority against LAUGFS Gas over its failure to maintain a continuous gas supply was taken up before the court.
The case was filed over an alleged violation of Direction No. 86 issued by the Consumer Affairs Authority, which requires the company to ensure an uninterrupted supply of gas to consumers.
The Additional Magistrate ordered the representative of LAUGFS Gas, who appeared before the court, to be released on a personal bail of Rs. 1 million.
Appearing on behalf of the company, President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne stated that the company had only learned about the case through newspaper reports and had not yet received a summons. He explained that LAUGFS had been operating in the gas business since 1994 and argued that the company could only supply gas when stocks were available.
He further explained that gas distribution involved specific procedures and referred to changes in gas composition following incidents of gas cylinder explosions in Sri Lanka after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Responding to the court’s questions, the lawyer confirmed that LAUGFS gas was still unavailable in the market.
CAA officials informed the court that LAUGFS was legally obligated to maintain a continuous gas supply. They added that if the company was unable to provide gas, it must refund the deposits paid by consumers for their cylinders. The authority stated that it had already informed the company of this requirement.
The Additional Magistrate observed that allowing the case to continue without resolving the issue would leave consumers without gas, stressing that the matter should be discussed and settled.
After considering the submissions, the court ordered that the case be taken up again on December 15.
