The luxury BMW car allocated to the Chairman of the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has been sold for Rs. 30 million, with the proceeds used to purchase two buses for staff transport at the corporation’s Kolonnawa and Muthurajawela premises.
According to the Dinamina newspaper, current CPC Chairman D.J. Rajakaruna had decided against using the vehicle, citing its high maintenance costs and heavy fuel consumption.
The car was sold under the new administration and the funds were redirected to staff welfare. Two buses — one valued at Rs. 19 million — were handed over to employees earlier this week under Chairman Rajakaruna’s leadership.
The disposal comes as the corporation carries a Rs. 84 billion historic deficit now transferred to the Treasury, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake disclosing on Wednesday that the actual cost of diesel has reached Rs. 720 per litre while CPC sells it at Rs. 392 — a gap that is forcing the Treasury to absorb mounting fuel-import losses.
Rajakaruna has been the public-facing spokesperson on CPC fuel-supply matters since his appointment, alongside Managing Director Mayura Neththikumarage. The vehicle disposal is the most visible austerity signal from CPC under the NPP government, redirecting an executive perk to operational staff welfare as the corporation’s fiscal position deteriorates.
