CEB officials blamed for blocking report on December blackout

By Ifham Nizam

Some senior officials of the Ministry of Power are blocking the release of reports revealing those responsible for the blackout in the Kotte area on 02 December 2021, senior CEB Engineers allege.

They claim that CEB Chairman M. M. C. Ferdinando and CEB General Manager M.R. Ranatunga are attempting to investigate the incident, but certain powerful forces are protecting those behind the blackout.

Following the outage during a go-slow of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union (CEBEU) a Chief Engineer of CEB complained to the Criminal Investigation Department that it was an act of sabotage. The CID launched a probe, but it has been stalled, according to sources, which said that the incident in Kotte and the countrywide blackout the following day had been acts of sabotage.

“As per section 63 of the Electricity Act, these are criminal offences. They carry jail terms. Hats off to the CID for refusing to stop the investigation,” an engineer said. “No wonder some people are desperate to get rid of the current General Manager, who is trying to investigate these blackouts – and replace him with Additional GM Rohantha Abersekera,” he added.

CEBSEA spokesperson Engineer Nandika Pathirage said the CEBEU should be held accountable for leaving the entire country in the dark, and the CEB and the Ministry of Power should immediately conduct a thorough probe.

CEB Engineers Union President Saumya Kumarawadu, contacted for comment, said none in the CEBEU had influenced investigations into the blackout.