Unions reject charge, inquiries underway

Chamal promises tough action if proven

by Ifham Nizam

The entire country was plunged into darkness owing to a sudden power outage before noon on Friday with various parties debating whether it was due to sabotage or not.

Minister of Irrigation and State Minister of Internal Security, Home Affairs and Disaster Management, Chamal Rajapaksa, told Parliament on Friday that the government was investigating the causes behind the power outage in the country and if there was any act of sabotage those who involved in it would be severely dealt with.

Meanwhile General Manager of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), M.R. Ranatunga on Friday said that he suspects the countrywide power failure maybe an act of sabotage by trade unions who had an axe to grind with him. He assured that everything possible was being done to restore normalcy.

The unions rejected this allegation saying two coal power plants in Norochcholai had tripped and all power generations had come to a standstill while one coal power plant was under repair with a cascading effect on the system.

“The electricity generators at Sapugaskanda also tripped. The fuel association of the CEB is managing the situation,” Convenor of the CEB United Trade Union Alliance Ranjan Jayalal said.

Meanwhile, the Colombo Crimes Division commenced an investigation with the assistance of electrical engineers to determine whether the power failure was an act of sabotage.

Police said a Chief Engineer of the Business and Operations Strategy Division of the CEB had lodged a complaint with the Slave Island Police Station on Friday regarding the public distress caused by the power outage in the Welivita area on Thursday night. The engineer had requested the police to investigate whether the power failure was due to  sabotage.

Responding to a question by Anuradhapura District SJB MP Rohana Bandara Dissanayake during the third reading debate on budget 2022, under the expenditure heads of the ministry of defence, Minister Chamal Rajapaksa said that the government would not tolerate sabotage.

Dissanayake said that while national security was being debated in parliament, the whole country had been plunged into a power outage which could be termed a serious threat to the national security. This had happened at a time all reservoirs have reached their spill levels and there was sufficient water to generate hydro power.

Colombo District SJB MP Harsha de Silva said that the entire country was in darkness and parliament was sitting thanks to power supplied by generators.

Minister Rajapaksa said that the government has already called for an investigations and it would not hesitate to take necessary actions on the findings of the probe.

“The electricity generators at Sapugaskanda also tripped. The fuel association of the CEB is administering the situation,” Convenor of the CEB United Trade Union Alliance Ranjan Jayalal said.

Meanwhile, the Colombo Crimes Division commenced an investigation with the assistance of electrical engineers to determine whether the power failure was an act of sabotage.

Police said a Chief Engineer of the Business and Operations Strategy Division of the CEB had lodged a complaint with the Slave Island Police Station on Friday regarding the public distress caused by the power outage in the Welivita area on Thursday night. The engineer had requested the police to investigate whether the power failure was due to  sabotage.

Media spokesman for the Power Ministry Sulakshana Jayawardena said that a total power failure was experienced in the country due to a transmission failure.

He said on Friday that the cause for the failure was not identified yet. The CEB maintenance services were deployed to restore the power supply with the least possible delay.