At a time when the Electricity Board has made a huge profit of 52 billion rupees in the last few months, the profit is not given as a relief to the electricity consumers of the country and due to the excessive increase in the electricity bill, the electricity of 8 lakh electricity consumers who cannot pay the electricity bill is cut off and thereby the people of the country Opposition leader Mr. Sajith Premadasa submitted a fundamental rights petition before the Hon’ble Supreme Court today (8) claiming that fundamental rights have been violated. Sri Lanka Latest News
In order to protect the rights of lakhs of electricity consumers under the principle of ‘public responsibility’, the Public Utilities Commission, the Sri Lanka Electricity Board, the Minister of Electricity and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera, the Ministry’s Secretary M. P. D. U. K. The petition was submitted by Mr. Farman Kasim, the President’s Advocate, who represented the opposition leader, Mr. Sajith Premadasa, with Mapa Pathirana and the Attorney General as respondents.
As the estimated hydropower generation exceeded from 3750 to 4510-gigawatt hours and the electricity demand decreased by 400 gigawatt-hours, 26 billion rupees and 18 per cent increase in the price of a unit of electricity resulted in a profit of 52 billion rupees each. This petition has been filed against the oppression of the entire people including the micro, small and medium businessmen who contribute 50% to the gross domestic product and 52% to the employment without giving relief to the electricity consumers.
Speaking here, Mr. Sajith Premadasa, the leader of the opposition, said that due to the lack of an efficient power generation policy in the country, there are many problems in generating electricity and providing efficient services, and at a time when a unit of electricity can be provided at a low price through renewable energy, a program centred on it is needed in the country. This basic rights petition was submitted for the rights of all electricity consumers as the absence is a big problem.
Also, the opposition leader said that the price of electricity should be brought down through this and for that the Public Utilities Commission should carry out work and further said that the profit obtained should be given to the people and in addition requested that electricity be provided to the poor electricity consumers through a new price formula. y.
Furthermore, the Electricity Board or the Ministry of Electricity does not have the correct data related to the total electricity consumers in the country and there are contradictions in the data held by those 2 institutions, surprisingly, the minister in charge of the subject presented various illegal acts in the presence of such contradictions. Mr Sajith Premadasa, the leader of the opposition, also said that Gandhi should be a person.
