Posted by superadmin in Latest News
- Ceylon Electricity Board will be transformed into a special grade institution within another 06 months
- Consumer Service Division will be established for all consumers by 04th of April
- A work plan which provides job opportunities for the members of families of CEB employees who lose their lives while working will be prepared
- A work plan which indemnities CEB employees will be introduced
Ravi Karunanayaka
Minister of Power, Energy and Business Development
‘The purpose of modernizing Ceylon Electricity Board is of providing good service for consumers while making our loss into profit. The estimated loss of CEB for this year is eight corers. It is our responsibility to make this negative state into positive condition. Eight corers mean an expenditure incurred to establish a Mahaweli Scheme. This is not a tolerable expenditure. Who is responsible for this? Politicians did not make right decisions in due time. Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) also has failed to take such a right decision. We cannot increase electricity tariffs. I am not going to give a room to increase electricity tariffs in such a way. As a subject Minister, I am telling this with a responsibility. Ceylon Electricity Board will never be privatized’ Said Ravi Karunanayaka, Minister of Power, Energy and Business Development.
The Minster said this while attending in an open ceremony of Thalangama CEB Consumer’s Service Center held today (30) at morning hour. Champika Premadasa, State Minister of Power also participated in this event.
The Minster further said…,
‘Consumer Service Division is going to be established by 04th of April for all consumers. Thereafter, a work plan which creates a facility where the service of CEB can be obtained being in any part of the country through dialing a single telephone number will be introduced. Ceylon Electricity Board will be transformed into a special grade institution within another 06 months. If we reduce cost of power generation, any benefit through it can be given to electricity consumers. Only from 0 to 120 units, 52% of consumers are making their electricity bills and thereby we are receiving profit or loss. We are suffering loss from religious places and government institutions in all the times. That is why we have to treat our consumers’.
‘What I requested while meeting the CEB employees including CEB Chairman at the time of assumption of duty in this Ministry is to provide our electricity consumers with satisfactory service. This is an additional effort in that line made by us for electricity consumers. If we are able to provide service in this nature covering whole country that would be the best satisfaction. 26,163 employees are working in Ceylon Electricity Board. Further 5000 employees are in CEB under contract basis. Therefore this Ceylon Electricity Board is considered as a big institution in Sri Lanka. Ceylon Electricity Board is providing it service for around sixty five lakhs of electricity consumers. This number of consumers is increasing by 6% -7% in a year. Our aspiration is to provide maximum energy service to these consumers’.
‘Ceylon Electricity Board plays a monopoly. Therefore, for electricity consumers, except CEB, they have no other alternatives. Hence, we have to make this situation into change. Now, an opportunity is available to obtain the services within few hours in many institutions where such services took number of days and number weeks for their delivery in Sri Lanka. We have to transform Ceylon Electricity Board into an efficient institution which can deliver such services. We have to bring a change in it’.
‘Our government revenue is 2200 billion rupees. Out of this, 860 billion rupees is spent for government employees. Further 240 billion rupees is spent for retirement of public servants. Another 1200 billion rupees is spent for government loans. When we are looking at these three types of expenditures, it is sure that a country will suffer bankruptcy. Therefore, how we can develop our country. However, our university students are carrying out protests with placards for petty things and this may be a democratic way for them to oppose something. But, this democratic action cannot develop the country and likewise those placards also cannot create job opportunities. Due to this action, what happen is just our life gets backward for many years but nothing benefit comes. We have to change this situation’.
‘We have to protect our electricity consumers and CEB employees as well. Most of the CEB employees lose their lives while engaging in their work in a year. We have to make arrangements to provide job opportunities for the family members of CEB employees who lose their lives in such a way. No protest is needed for this. We have to change the means in which we generate electricity. A change should be brought in a manner covering whole country from Colombo to Batticaloa and Jaffna to Deivanthura where an efficient and quality service can be provided for consumers. This is a challengeable task. It is necessary to obtain views from CEB employees to transform Ceylon Electricity Board into profit or loss.
