CEB extends grace period for tourist hotels, etc.,

By Ifham Nizam

Power Minister Dullas Alahapperuma yesterday (23) instructed the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) to continue to supply electricity to registered hotels in the pandemic-hit even if their electricity bill have not been settled.

Alahapperuma also instructed the CEB to grant them a grace period

Alhapperuma said that due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, foreign tourists were not arriving in the country and the tourism sector was crippled.

Accordingly, the grace period for the payment of electricity bills for 2020 has been extended to September 2021 with the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers, the Minister said.

“This will enable hoteliers to pay their electricity bills in equal installments during the relevant year,” he said.

Alahapperuma said that the decision had been taken under the guidance of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa considering the fact that the tourism industry contributed greatly to the national economy, and the economic hardships now faced by those engaged in the field.

As at the end-2019, Sri Lanka had 2,620 accommodation establishments and 85 percent of which were small and medium-sized guesthouses, home-stays and bungalows. The remaining 15 percent, or 388 establishments, were hotels. Of them, 233 were unclassified, the Sri Lanka Tourism data shows.