A significant number of civilians in the Northern Province have now begun to use bicycles, bullock carts and even horse carriages for their transportation due to the scarcity of fuel in the region.
A Catholic priest from Bishop House in Jaffna is a cynosure of all eyes in recent days as the clergyman travels in his horse carriage.
In recent years before the fuel shortages in the country, Jaffna civilians who used bicycles were using motor bikes and scooters rapidly with the remittance they received from expatriates. However, with the recent fuel crisis the Jaffna civilians of all walks of life have now gone back to use their bicycles and in the remote areas students even go to schools by bullock carts owing to a limited bus services in several parts of the peninsula.
A senior citizen in Jaffna told the Sunday Observer that bicycles prices have gone up with a new bike sold at above Rs, 50,000 depending on the brand.
Meanwhile, the bicycles which were discarded for the past several years have now been brought back to the bicycle repair shops to be refurbished by a large number of people.
A 23-year-old youth succumbed to his injuries following a brawl at a fuel queue in Jaffna two days ago. The young man a resident from Manipay, Jaffna was attacked with a helmet by another person who was standing with him in the queue following an argument between the two men.
Police and Army have increased their presence at petrol stations to prevent any untoward incident sources said.
As a result of the prevailing fuel crisis in the country several VIPs including Ministers are currently arriving in Jaffna by train for their official purposes.
Before the fuel crisis, Government Ministers arrived in Jaffna either by air or by motor vehicles from Colombo.
However, considering the current fuel crisis the VIPs from Colombo are now compelled to avoid motorised convoys to travel to distant places sources added.
Another resident from Jaffna siad that the current economic crisis was not anything new to them and when the A-9 highway connecting North with the South was closed down for years due terrorism they had to face difficulties in a big way without electricity, fuel, food and even medical items.