CEB promises to do away with power cuts after raising tariff

By Ifham Nizam

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would do away with power cuts soon since the electricity tariff had been approved by the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL), CEB General Manager Eng. Rohan Seneviratne said.

Earlier in the day the PUCSL announced that it had approved a Cabinet proposal for a power tariff hike.

The Electricity Consumers’ Association and the Centre for Environmental Justice filed a writ application in the Court of Appeal seeking an order against the Cabinet ministers’ directive to the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) to increase the electricity tariffs.

CEB, the Minister of Power and energy, the PUCSL, the Attorney General are among the respondents.

The Cabinet instructed the electricity sector regulator to work with the CEB to take necessary measures to increase the tariffs.

The petitioners said that the PUCSL was an independent commission and that the Cabinet did not have the power to issue such directives.

Convenor of the United Trade Union Alliance, Ananda Palitha and the Secretary of the Electricity Consumers’ Association, Sanjeewa Dhammika, were arrested yesterday for allegedly threatening two members of the PUCSL. They were remanded till 26 January.