MS blames squabble between PUC and CEB

By Kelum Bandara
President Maithripala Sirisena presiding at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting is reported to have blamed the current power crisis on the squabbling between the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). 

The power crisis was one of the items discussed at the Cabinet meeting when the President reportedly took a swipe at a key official of the PUC.  

The Cabinet appointed a committee comprising Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake, Non-Cabinet Minister of Economic Reforms and Public Distribution, State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne and Highways Minister Kabir Hashim to study how best to overcome the crisis.   

Some 2,600 megawatts is Sri Lanka’s daily requirement of electricity, however, currently there is a shortfall of 300 megawatts because of the dwindling water levels at hydro-power reservoirs.   

Meanwhile, a top CEB official said the power cuts would continue as long as there was no rain and there were objections for the purchase of power from private operators.