CEB raids to continue uninterrupted

Monday, 20 June 2011 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

With the primary aim of making the CEB an establishment void of all corruption and malpractices and achieving the ultimate goal of providing 100% electricity coverage to all by the year 2012, Minister of Power and Energy Patali Campika Ranawaka is working tirelessly both internally and externally to achieve this goal, and has empowered investigation units for this purpose. Accordingly the Ministry of power and energy stated that this unit through raids had collected nearly Rs. 18 million during the month of May alone.

Accordingly 237 incidents of altering electricity meters, using hooks to obtain electricity illegally and other unscrupulous activities have been reported, while 152 of these were of obtaining electricity fraudulently by way of altering electricity meters. The remaining 85 cases were where hooks had been used to obtain electricity illegally.

Through raids conducted during the month of May, a total of Rs. 17,752,094.09 was collected while Rs. 2,464,681.00 of this amount came in the form of Court penalties; Rs. 15,287,412.00 was recovery of losses to the CEB.

The Ministry of Power and Energy therefore urges the general public to render their support in bringing to justice those fraudsters who attempt to obtain electricity in this unethical manner, and prevent the CEB — which was earlier in a terrible state of financial difficulties due to fraud and theft, and has just managed to rid itself of all debt, and transform itself into a profit generating establishment — from slipping back into that earlier state of financial turmoil. The Ministry further stated that any such complaint could be reported on telephone number 1987