News
CEBEU sees sinister move to malign it over genuine fault in the system
By Ifham Nizam
The powerful Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) now under fire over the major power disruption on 03 Dec., said yesterday that as per analysis done by CEB experts, based on information logged in Disturbance Recorders, there had been an actual fault in the Biyagama-Kotmale 220kv backbone transmission line, the exact cause of which was being investigated.
The CEBEU has categorcailly denied claims by a group “with vested interest and no power system protection expertise”.
“We wish to inform the media and public that the so-called “Senior Engineering Association” (SEA) has fewer than 30 members and does not have any senior engineers as the name suggests,” Jt. Secretary, CEBEU, Dhammika Wimalararatne said.
Wimalararatne said that one of the allegations was that there was remote access to relays and thereby settings had been changed to create the major power disruption. He said there was no scientific basis for such claims.
CEB has SIEMENS and SCHNEIDER (MICOM) main protection relays and QUALITROL BEN6000 Fault Recorders installed at Biyagama and Kotmale grid substations. “If anyone had accessed these relays (remotely or otherwise), and modified anything, all such changes and accesses would have been logged internally; what is on the relay events list and cannot be deleted,” he added.
Internal investigations carried out by the CEB has confirmed that there had not been any such external manipulation of relays at Biyagama and Kotmale lines, Wimalaratne said.
“We reiterate that these records cannot be altered and hence available for any party to investigate such claims. The CEBEU is willing to share such data with any power system protection expert from either Siemens or Schneider, or any other independent expert on the subject to independently verify any claims.’
As per the provisions of section 51 of the Public Finance Managaement Act No. 44 of 2024, the public should be issued with a report on the final budgetary situation for each year and, the report is then published in the official website of the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development.
Thereby the report has to be submitted to the Parliament. The final budgetary situation report (Annual Report) – 2025 has been prepared by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and published. The report contains the Public Finance Policy, strategies and challenges, economic trends in 2025, macro – economic and socio – economic indicators covering all sectors of the economy as well as description on the global economic growth.
Furthermore, it accompanies a detailed description government revenue and expenditure, cash flow management, financing the budget deficit and the loan structure.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to submit the Report on the Final Budgetary Condition (Annual Report) – 2025 to Parliament.
Business
Cabinet nod to accept increased Loan Grant provided by the Asian Development Bank under Policy Based Loan Facilities – 2026
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was granted at their meeting held on 16.03.2026 to obtain United States Dollars 380 million from the policy – based loan facilities of the Asian Development Bank in the year 2026.
United States Dollars 100 million out of it is allocated for Trade, Investment and Industries Development Programme – Sub Programme 1. However, amidst the economic uncertainty resulting from the current Middle East crisis and the climatic tragedies, the Asian Development Bank has agreed to assist
by increasing a supplementary financing package of United States Dollars 100 million so that it will beMincreased up to United States Dollars 200 million.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to take further measures to obtain the said loan grant.
News
Submission of Revenue Protection Order Prepared under the Provisions of the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 to the Parliament for its approval.
Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was given at the meeting held on 23.02.2026 to impose the custom import duty amounts under four (04) categories as 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% which had been executed only under three (03) categories in order to increase the target export income of the country, to execute the
recommendations of the national customs duty policies committee, and to implement new national sub division customs codes for promoting the local agricultural and industrial sector.
Imposing provisions in relation to the above, the Revenue Protection Order – No. 01/2026 under the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 has been published in the extraordinary gazette notification No. 2478/03 of 03.03.2026.
Accordingly, the Cabinet of Ministers approved the resolution furnished by the President in his capacity as the Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to submit the said revenue protection order to Parliament for its concurrence.
Report on the Final Budgetary Condition (Annual Report) – 2025 submited to parliament
Cabinet nod to accept increased Loan Grant provided by the Asian Development Bank under Policy Based Loan Facilities – 2026
Submission of Revenue Protection Order Prepared under the Provisions of the Revenue Protection Act No. 19 of 1962 to the Parliament for its approval.
Resettlement of unauthorized settlers affected by the Land Acquisition process for the implementation of Phase III of the Baseline Road Extension Project
Cabinet approves project to modernize school hostel facilities during the 2026–2028 period at an estimated cost of Rs. 1,008 million
New National Action Plan for Human-Elephant Conflict Management to be drafted
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
Sunday Island 27 December – Headlines
#SundayIsland 17th December – Headlines
Sunday Island – 28th March
Sunday Island Headlines – 21 March
Sunday Island – 21st February – Headlines
-
News5 days agoCIABOC summons Yoshitha over his participation in British Navy training programme
-
News7 days agoLocal firms move millions of dollars overseas for phantom imports: Govt.
-
Midweek Review7 days agoJuly 09: An inexcusable overall security failure and exceptional contingency plan
-
Sports2 days agoTharanga set for high-profile javelin clash in Ostrava
-
News4 days agoCommonwealth lawyers urge Lanka to uphold rule of law
-
News5 days agoJustice Minister responds to social media claims he represented Easter Sunday ringleader
-
Features3 days agoPolitics of protected species
-
News7 days agoAI raises concerns over arrest of Sallay and rapper under PTA