• CEB to provide submission of proposal soon

The reported electricity tariffs revision for October may be impacted due to the absence of members at the utility regulator, Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), it is learnt.

When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (15), the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Chairperson Nalinda Illangakoon said that the next electricity tariff revision would be made in October. When asked as to whether the absence of members of the PUCSL would affect the implementation of the tariff revision, he said: "Of course. But, it is out of our line. We will be submitting the proposal to the PUCSL." Commenting on the possible timeline of the submission of the proposal, he said: "We will submit it very soon."

The Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA) previously stated that revising electricity tariffs in October would be impossible due to the absence of members in the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL). ECA General Secretary, Sanjeewa Dhammika said that the PUCSL members must first review the proposal and, if any issues are identified, direct the CEB to rectify them and resubmit the proposal. Established under the PUCSL Act No. 35 of 2002, the PUCSL is the economic, technical, and safety regulator of the electricity, petroleum, and water services industries. The terms of PUCSL's former Chairperson Prof. Manjula Fernando and other members ended on 17 July. In response to a query by The Daily Morning as to whether the appointment of Members for the PUCSL would happen sometime soon, the Chairperson of the Constitutional Council (CC) and the Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena recently said that there was no any preparation at the time.