If the Electricity Board agrees to increase the electricity bill without the recommendation of the Public Utilities Commission, the commission’s head, Janaka Rathnayake, says the commission will take legal action against the decision.
Mr. Kanchana Wijesekera, Minister of Electrical and Energy, insists that, in order to ensure a continuous electricity supply, the cost of electricity should increase by 70% beginning in the new year.
Since the last time the Public Utilities Commission gave permission to increase the electricity bill, the Ceylon Electricity Board has made profits, according to the chairman of the Public Utilities Commission, and it appears that the Commission’s recommendation at that time to increase the electricity bill was correct.
Mr. Janaka Ratnayake asserts that the minister has decided to increase the electricity cost, despite the fact that none of the primary elements responsible for the rise have changed.
According to him, neither the price of gasoline or coal nor the depreciation of the rupee have increased.