News
Senior CEB engineers resort to unscrupulous practices to fund their trips abroad
By Ifham Nizam
Sources in the Ministry of Power have revealed to The Sunday Island that the recent two-week trip by a very senior engineer of CEB has not been approved by the Minister of Power, although CEB has allowed this officer and another engineer to travel to Turkey.
Under existing Government regulations, all state-sector employees traveling overseas for duty or personal reasons are required to obtain the prior permission of the Minister in charge with the recommendation of the Secretary to the Ministry concerned.
It is understood that the Power Secretary has not forwarded the documents received from the CEB for the approval of the Minister. It is understood that the Ministry has requested a personal guarantee from the CEB Chairman certifying that the above foreign travel by the two CEB engineers was absolutely necessary in view of the severe foreign exchange shortage in the country.
The Sunday island learns that CEB Chairman M M C Ferdinando has not forwarded this certification to the Ministry to date.
A senior engineer said that this is considered a serious breach of government rules for state officials to leave the country without required permission.
The applicable circular instructions state clearly that officials shall not travel without such permission, even if all paperwork has been submitted to the line ministry for approval in the expectation of receiving such approval.
CEB does not issue foreign exchange for official foreign travel without this approval of the Minister of Power. Several trade unions in the CEB questioned whether an exception was made by the CEB management in this case because of the powerful connection of the senior engineer in question.
CEB announced last week that it had suspended all new connections because of the serious material shortage it was facing because of lack of foreign currency to pay for essential items.
Against that backdrop, it is highly questionable why these engineers were issued foreign exchange for a non-essential factory test of transformers which could have been conducted online easily.
A large number of factory testing of transformers and other critical equipment have already been performed successfully by CEB engineers during the last two years because of travel restrictions in European countries.
Several present and retired CEB engineers The Island spoke to were skeptical as to why the CEB management considered testing of small 10MVA transformers at the factory to be so important and sent a very senior CEB engineer to Turkey when much larger transformers of significantly higher value used in the transmission system have been successfully factory-tested by CEB engineers online.
It is reliably learnt that the CEB has issued the senior engineer concerned a round trip business class air ticket for his travel.
This trip gets even more baffling because it is learnt that the Indian contractor involved in the ADB-funded project under which these transformers were purchased by the CEB has paid for accommodation and meals of these two officers during their two-week stay in Turkey.
As a rule, CEB always pays the full cost of participation, including travel, accommodation, meals and other incidental expenses of engineers participating in factory testing of equipment because the CEB inspectors should not be under any obligations to the suppliers or contractors.
Therefore, payment of hotel charges, meals and other expenses by the contractor constitutes a serious conflict of interest.
Banks have issued only USD 1,000 exchange for each of the two engineers. There could not have been any doubt that the CEB management, as well as the Ministry officials, were well aware that the officials concerned could not have paid for their accommodation and other expenses out of their own funds even if they wanted to do so, as credit card payments abroad have been severely restricted.
CEB trade unions question whether CEB allowed these engineers to travel to Turkey knowing that their expenses would be paid for by the contractor who supplied the very transformers that were to be tested.
Further, CEB does not generally allow weekends in factory testing as most factories in Europe and other countries like USA and Japan do not operate their testing facilities on weekends.
These two officers are reported to have spent two weekends elsewhere in Europe during their trip to Turkey.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
