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Public Utilities Commission Chairman Janaka Ratnayake (third from right) along with other three Commissioners and Director General during the meeting summoned by the parliamentary oversight body the National Council last week
Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL) Chairman Janaka Ratnayake yesterday charged efforts are underway by the Government to undermine the regulatory body after it rejected the Cabinet stance on the proposed tariff hike by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB).
The four-member PUCSL at its meeting on 12 January took an unanimous decision to reject the Cabinet’s stance and the same was communicated in writing to Cabinet Secretary W.M.D.J. Fernando on 13 January.
However, President Ranil Wickremesinghe on 19 January summoned a meeting on the matter inviting only three PUCSL Commissioners and excluded the Chairman.
The other PUCSL Commissioners are Deputy Chairman engineer Udeni Wickramasinghe, lawyer Chathurika Wijesinghe and media and communication industry professional Mohan Samaranayake.
It is learnt that during the meeting with President Wickremesinghe, the three Commissioners had shared different views implying that the 12 January minuted-decision was not unanimous. On the same day (19 January) ,separately the Parliamentary oversight body National Council summoned the PUCSL (inclusive of Chairman) and other stakeholders for a meeting in the afternoon.
Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena had inquired whether the PUCSL decision was unanimous and there too some Commissioners had expressed different views. This prompted the Council to urge consensus on the matter.
On 9 January, Cabinet approval was granted to amend the general policy guidelines for the electricity industry and to implement a cost reflective electricity tariff to be implemented from January. The revision was scheduled to be reviewed by the PUCSL before 15 February though increase will have a retrospective effect from 1 January.
Ratnayake said notwithstanding the PUCSL’s stance on the Cabinet memorandum, it was continuing with the due process including review of CEB proposal and carrying out public consultation.
The Chairman has been maintaining that by law only PUCSL has the right to approve or disapprove a hike in electricity tariff.
A 72% hike in tariff effective 1 January on top of an increase of similar percentage in August last year has come under growing opposition from the public, trade unions and others. The hike is likely to be challenged in Court this week as well.
Separately Ratnayake yesterday dismissed Energy Minister Wijesekera’s assertion that PUCSL Chief must be removed since electricity tariff hike was critical. Ratnayake said removing PUCSL Chairman is a tedious process clearly laid out in the Act. “If there is a mistake, a letter should have been sent to both me and the Parliament in this regard, questioning why such a thing has occurred. Subsequently, I should have been given a reasonable period of time to explain this,” Ratnayake said.
In its statement following the meeting, the National Council said the Board of Directors and officers representing several institutions including the PUCSL and the CEB were summoned and questioned regarding the increase in electricity charges.
Discussions were under the chairmanship of Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera.
The statement said officials representing the CEB pointed out that the PUCSL should quickly give a decision on the proposal to increase electricity charges along with the approval of the Cabinet.
Making a remark, the PUCSL Chairman mentioned that the necessary calculations should be completed first.
Accordingly, Speaker Abeywardena said that the CEB and PUCSL should discuss this matter and take a final decision. Therefore, after such discussions, it was decided to call all these parties to the National Council again tomorrow.
In addition to this, the draft of the final report of the National Council sub-committee on identifying programs related to economic stabilisation was also presented to the National Council by the chairman of the said committee MP Patali Champika Ranawaka.
Ministers Tiran Alas and Nassir Ali Ahmed, State Ministers D.V. Chanaka, Sisira Jayakody, Indika Anuruddha, and MPs Johnston Fernando, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and A.L.M. Athaullah were present at the Committee meeting. Secretary General of the Parliament Dhammika Dasanayake and Chief of Staff and Deputy General Secretary of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera were also present.
