It appears that the plight of electricity consumers, who were affected by long power cuts and astronomical tariff hikes which came as a result of the economic crisis, can get worse without more power cuts or electricity costs. According to certain recent media reports and allegations, those who fail to settle their electricity bills on time are likely to be victims of a “mafia” led by private contractors. 

According to the Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA), this mafia is built around the process of disconnecting the electricity supply of consumers that have failed to settle their electricity bills or have done so at the last minute in which case the relevant payment records may not get updated promptly. Private contractors hired by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), they allege, engage in disconnecting activities even when consumers are not at home, which is a blatant violation of a consumers’ right to privacy and safety and constitutes a threat to their properties. To make matters worse, they further allege that these contractors do the same when consumers who have settled electricity bills via online platforms are not at home, which makes the other residents unable to present a receipt. Such incidents were exposed by a local television channel with video evidence several weeks ago, and have since attracted public attention.

The motive behind this immoral and unprofessional behaviour of these private contractors is money, as it is said that their income depends on the number of disconnections that they carry out. It goes without a saying that these allegations raise a number of questions about the contractors’ professionalism, the CEB’s accountability concerning the electricity supply, disconnections and the manner in which electricity consumers are dealt with, and most importantly, the rights and safety of electricity consumers. Even from an ethical standpoint, it is obvious that electricity consumers, who have been affected by tariff hikes amidst a severe economic downturn, need to be treated in a more professional and humane manner.

The issue has attracted national level attention not only through media reports, but also through electricity consumers’ grievances, which were widely circulated on social media platforms, and that points towards an increased and growing concern among the public. In this context, the CEB, or the Power and Energy Ministry, has no reason to ignore this issue, as it impacts both the economic crisis hit CEB and consumers, while private contractors seem to be taking full advantage of the situation in a manner that tarnishes the CEB’s name and further inconveniences electricity consumers.

The CEB or the Ministry must immediately launch an investigation into the aforementioned allegations pertaining to contractors’ behaviour. If the allegations are in fact true, the CEB or the Ministry must take the necessary steps against such behaviour within the powers they have in accordance with the agreements that they have entered into with private contractors. Most importantly, to deter such behaviour in the future, attention needs to be paid to amending these agreements with a focus on making private contractors more accountable for the manner in which they treat electricity consumers and their properties, ensuring that private contractors are adequately contractually bound to uphold the CEB’s policies pertaining to dealing with electricity consumers, and preventing them from entering premises without the owners’ consent which is illegal and unprofessional. These amendments should also empower the CEB to take adequate actions against the private contractors that engage in the alleged illegal activity. Most importantly, if money is in fact the reason for the alleged unprofessional behaviour, it is advisable that the CEB or the Ministry change the method that determines these private contractors’ income which they earn through disconnecting electricity supplies.

There are other long drawn-out issues surrounding electricity bill settlements which could be disadvantageous to electricity consumers in this context. That is the issue of bill settlements not getting updated promptly, which leads to electricity disconnections despite bills having been settled. While the CEB should work to make these updating systems more efficient, those who carry out electricity disconnections should also be directed to be more flexible and sensitive to consumers’ claims about bill settlements by giving the latter adequate time and opportunities to prove as to whether they have settled the relevant bills. Extending the period between the issuance of final notices and electricity disconnections, or providing a grace period, could also be beneficial, and is a need of the hour when consumers are struggling to settle their electricity bills. At the same time, the amount charged to restore an electricity connection should be reasonable.

These alleged behaviours could also be a hindrance to the Government’s plans to go digital in the electricity sector, as one of the groups of electricity consumers that are likely to be a target of these private contractors is those who do not have receipts for bill settlements, which could occur when bills are settled online.

The CEB or the Ministry should act to protect electricity consumers’ safety and privacy from being violated by private contractors that represent the CEB. In a context where electricity consumers have accepted the burden of paying increased electricity bills despite a plethora of other economic challenges, which has rid the CEB from its loss making status, the least that the authorities could do is address this issue forthwith and effectively.