50% of all Street Lamps to be switched off

The ministry of power and energy said yesterday that measures will be taken to switch off 50 per cent of all street lamps across the country starting from today (01).

The decision was taken following a special discussion held yesterday (31) between Energy Minister Champika Ranawaka, Secretary to Local Government Ministry and representatives of LG bodies.

Minister Ranawaka pointed out that there are over 800,000 street lamps across the country, while only around 400,000 have been authorized by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) or the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO). According to the minister it costs around Rs. 150 per night to maintain each street lamp, which amounts to around Rs. 1,200 -1,400 million at the end of the year, according to CEB accounts.

Taking these facts into consideration Minister Ranawaka requested the representatives of LG bodies to switch off every other street lamp in their respective areas starting from tomorrow (August 01), thereby switching off 50 percent of the street lamps in the island.

The minister further pointed out that discussions are current in progress with the Asian Development Bank for the maintenance of street lamps.