The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake is in the process of preparing the necessary documentation to file legal action upon his return to the country next week, against the “unfair and unlawful” electricity tariff increase which was implemented last week.
When contacted by The Daily Morning yesterday (21), Ratnayake stated that the increase in electricity tariffs was unreasonable, especially to the low income consumers of up to 90 units.
“To my knowledge, it (the increase in electricity tariffs) is against the norms and standards, as well as the rights of the citizens. Also, considering that they did it opposing the law, I will seek legal action. The necessary documents are being prepared. So, when I return to the country, I will look into this. Whether I will win or lose doesn’t matter. I will try my level best to benefit the people.”
Ratnayake also observed that with the proposal submitted by the PUCSL, which called for an increase in electricity tariffs by 36% as opposed to 66% as proposed by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), the PUCSL aimed to strike a balance between the CEB’s request and the pleas of the people.
“Our absence (Ratnayake’s visit to Australia) also created some vacuum at the last stages, because, I thought that when we came up with a reasonable package, which will benefit both the CEB and the consumers, we can probably strike a balance where neither party will lose. But, the Government, especially the Ministry of Power and Energy, was very adamant that they wanted the entire tariff which they managed to get. But, it’s like killing the golden goose because the three low-income categories will especially find it extremely difficult to pay the bills. We will witness a lot of power disconnections in the future and disagreements in the future. Industries will also be wiped out from the market and several issues will arise, which the Government is unable to fathom or assess at the moment. I was trying to avoid this, but the Government is unable to understand this.” He also stressed that the impact of the same on the tourism industry, which is facing high electricity tariffs, may lead to the country losing large sums in revenue. “When talking about the industries, especially the tourism industry, it brings enormous amounts of liquidity and cash into the country unlike any other industry which is useful if we are looking to come out of this economic crisis. When you impose an industry with huge tariffs, the industry cannot sustain with the challenges that they have already been facing. We will probably lose a huge income. So, having considered all those things, we came out with a reasonable package but unfortunately, with the influences of politicians and the pressure exerted on the other PUCSL members, to which they (the other Commission members) succumbed to, they went ahead with the proposal. I will see if we can take the legal path to correct this.”
Speaking further, Ratnayake said: “I am not trying to gain anything out of this. As a senior public officer, I have gone beyond my limits to bring justice to the people, especially for those who are vulnerable and unable to raise their voices.”
Meanwhile, the Electricity Consumers’ Association Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika informed the media that the Association was in discussions with several political parties pertaining to the increase in electricity tariffs. “We already spoke to the Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa on Monday (20). We were scheduled to speak to former President and incumbent Opposition Parliamentarian Maithripala Sirisena today (21) and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the Supreme Lanka Coalition, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna-led National People’s Power, and all the other parties. We will come together with all political parties and consumers and will not allow you to increase the electricity tariffs. We cannot settle these tariffs, nor will we.”
The majority of the PUCSL members, namely Chathurika Wijesinghe, Douglas Nanayakkara and S.G. Senaratne had approved an increase in electricity tariffs by 66% effective from 15 February, notwithstanding the objections raised by Ratnayake. This came after the electricity tariff hike which was implemented in August, 2022. This revision has seen much opposition from the people.