Sectoral oversight committee approves Electricity Amendment Bill

• Committee highlights need to ensure consumer rights

The Sri Lanka Electricity Amendment Bill was reviewed yesterday during a meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Infrastructure and Strategic Development, chaired by Member of Parliament S.M. Marikkar. 

The committee granted approval for the bill to be presented to Parliament for its second reading on July 24.

The officials representing several institutions, including the Power and Energy Ministry, Attorney General’s Department and Ceylon Electricity Board attended the committee meeting. Discussions were held on several proposals and recommendations submitted by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) regarding the amendments to the bill, with the consensus reached on a number of issues.

The Attorney General’s Department also expressed its views on the bill during the session. The bill was submitted to the committee for approval, incorporating the previously agreed-upon amendments. Provisions such as land ownership and consumer rights were discussed at length.

Furthermore, following the passage of the bill, the committee recommended that the Power and Energy Ministry, in collaboration with the PUCSL, formulate regulations concerning consumer rights within one month. 

This recommendation was directed to the secretary of the ministry.

Members of Parliament Nalin Bandara Jayamaha, Ajith P. Perera, Asitha Niroshan Egodawitana, Manjula Suraveera Arachchi and Shantha Padma Kumara Subasinghe were present in the meeting. With the committee chairman’s approval, Committee on Public Finance Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva also participated in the session.