Govt rejects reports of Lanka taking over parts of IOC depot

NEW DELHI: Govt on Thursday denied reports that Sri Lanka had decided to reposses a part of a strategic oil depot Indian Oil as was announced by Information Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

An official spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs said that India has been assured that such reports were not correct.

There had been reports in the local media in Sri Lanka that the government was eying the 99-tank storage facility in the north-eastern port district of Trincomalee.

In line with the privatisation, Sri Lanka gave the World War II tank farm of 99 storage tanks in the north-eastern port of Trincomalee to Lanka OIC which is using 15 of them and refurbishing two more.

Lanka IOC head Subodh Dakwale said they were unaware of the government decision. He said they were refurbishing two more storage tanks at a cost of 17 million dollars.

" Sri Lankan government has been negotiating with us for some time. I would say its been a few months. We have'nt heard anything from the government," Dakwale told PTI.