By Shamindra Ferdinando
Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera has disclosed that cash-strapped Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) arranged for bank loans to its employees at government’s expense.
The SLPPer said that of the 15%-16% interest, the CEB paid 2/3 whereas the workers paid the balance.
Minister Wijesekera said that in line with his strategy to reduce unnecessary expenditure and to improve financial stability that practice had been done away with.
Appearing on Salakuna on Hiru TV, a weekly live political programme hosted by Chamuditha Samarawickrema this week, Wijesekera said that the government had also abolished the collective agreement that ensured 25% increase in salaries every three years and a range of other benefits to several sectors, including the CEB and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC).
MP Wijesekera received power and energy portfolio in April 2022 during the tail end of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidency. President Ranil Wickremesinghe retained Wijesekera as the power and energy minister when he swore in new cabinet of ministers.
Minister Wijesekera declared that the restrictions had also been imposed on carrying out maintenance work over the weekend for workers’ financial benefit. MP Wijesekera emphasised that though the CEB was out of the woods, he intended to continue with stringent measures now in place.
Pointing out that there were altogether 5,000 vacancies in the CPC and CEB in spite of him being the minister in charge of them he couldn’t under any circumstances take advantage of the situation. The minister said that the country was in such a desperate juncture, the powers that be couldn’t abuse the system.
Minister Wijesekera said that one of the decisions taken by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa soon after assuming office was to terminate a controversial scheme under which the government paid utility bills of the ministers. According to him the government paid bills of various civil and military officials at a heavy cost to the Treasury.
Responding to Samarawickrema and his two colleagues, Minister Wijesekera denied any wrongdoing on his part regarding the inordinate delay in sealing of a significant water leakage at the Samanalawewa reservoir in spite of warnings issued by the experts.
On the basis of a recent declaration by leader of CEB trade union affiliated with the JVP Ranjan Jayalal, the Hiru team repeatedly asked the minister whether he blocked the sealing of the reservoir for the benefit of a private mini-hydropower plant that used leaking water to produce electricity.
Having repeatedly denied the allegation and any knowledge of existence of such a mini-hydropower plant situated close to Samanalawewa reservoir, towards the end of the programme Minister Wijesekera said that the Sri Lanka Energies, a fully owned subsidiary of the CEB operated the said installation.
Minister Wijesekera said so after a senior CEB official made available the relevant information through WhatsApp. Minister Wijesekera named Nandika Pathirage, spokesperson for CEB Senior Engineers’ Union as the person in charge of Sri Lanka Energies.
Minister Wijesekera denied accusations that the delay in sealing the leakage posed a serious threat and the failure to address the issue at hand without further delay could be catastrophic. According to the minister, he got to know Pathirage only after assuming responsibilities as power and energy minister.
Commenting on the ongoing protest campaign against the proposed restructuring of the CEB, Minister Wijesekera emphasised that regardless of warnings issued by a section of the workers affiliated to the JVP led union, the government was going ahead with reform plans.
A smiling Minister said that the process that had been initiated by the government couldn’t be reversed by setting fire to a copy of the new Electricity Bill.
Asked to comment on President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent declaration in parliament that a section of CEB engineers opposed renewable energy projects such as the proposed Pooneryn venture as they profited by thermal and coal generation, Minister Wijesekera said that what the President said was 100 percent true. There were various interested parties, including some in the CEB who worked overtime to sabotage new investments thereby preventing the much needed capital for new power generation projects.
Minister Wijesekera revealed that the Attorney General has cleared the Pooneryn project and the CEB awaited the approval of the Public Utilities Commission in that regard.
