In many villages of Anuradhapura Thanthirimale, the villagers say that school children, infants and the elderly are in a lot of trouble due to their electricity being cut off because they are unable to pay the electricity bill. Sri Lanka Latest News
The villagers also say that they have not been able to pay the electricity bills due to the increase in the electricity bill and the lack of permanent sources of income.
Due to the economic poverty they are facing, the homeowners say that getting electricity again is a dream.
During our visit, we could see that the residents of many villages such as Thanthirimale, Upper Gonewa, Thambia, Sandamaleliya etc. have been directly affected by this problem.
This group, which eats at the same time during the day and at night, has also been severely affected by wild elephants.
In this regard, Mr. H. Samarakoon, a resident of Upper Goneya, Thambiava area, commented as follows.
Seven or eight people from the village get together to rent a demo hut and go to the Muslim village of Asirikgama, which is about 25 kilometers away. The remaining amount is spent at home. Prosperity is not enough. Currently, a wife and children are at home in Karuvale. Unable to pay forty-five thousand rupees, the electricity was cut off and an electric cable was removed. She tearfully said that according to the current economic situation, I would never be able to buy a light again.
H. Rajakaruna (48), a resident of Thambiaya, Upper Goneya, said: My electricity was also cut off. How can we pay so much money when we can’t even save two or three hundred rupees a day? It doesn’t matter if it’s just the electricity bill. Add VAT to it, and now the total of the bill is three. It’s a dream for us who eat one meal a day to get electricity again, he said.
Anuradhapura District Senior Electrical Engineer Mr Siri Kularatne said in a telephone inquiry about this incident. One hundred and fifty-five electricity consumers in Thanthirimale area were cut off. 75 of them have got electricity again.
In an inquiry to Mrs. Manjari C. Chandradasa, Mahavillachchaya Divisional Secretary regarding the disconnection of electricity to the residents of several villages in the Thanthirimale area, she said: The government has not taken a policy decision to pay the disconnected electricity bill. But so far, we have received information that various voluntary organizations are assisting. If you are applying for self-employment, you can look into it and take the necessary steps. – Lankadeepa
