Country heading in the opposite direction – UNP

Sri Lanka is travelling back into the stone age while all other countries of the world are moving ahead in technology and science, UNP Deputy Leader Ruwan Wijewardene said.

He was speaking at a function held on behalf of declaring open the Siyambalapewatte Mithuru Children’s Park which was built with personal funds of Wijewardene and the Biyagama, Siyambalapewatte Village Development Association. Wijewardene said that the problems of the country are aggravating gradually.

He said Power Minister Gamini Lokuge went around giving voice cuts that there would be an uninterrupted power supply, but the CEB was implementing scheduled power cuts.

The UNP deputy leader demanded to know whose words should people believe. “Should we believe the words of the Minister or the CEB? Since the day the Minister was making that promise, power cuts are effected throughout the country, region wise. People are now in the queues to buy candles. The government is ushering this nation towards the stone age it seems,” he said.

“There are shortages of all food items. We have gas, milk powder and kerosene oil queues. The latest is going to be the queue for candles.

“The CEB has obtained the permission of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for power cuts until July this year.

The CEB General Manager has told the media that they have obtained permission but they would not implement power cuts strictly. In the meantime, the Minister says that there would be no power cuts. However, there had been many instances of power cuts during the day time and night time. How can a country go forward in this manner? Will the investors come to a country with scheduled power cuts?” Wijewardene queried.

“People are wondering how they can survive. A situation has arisen where food items cannot be purchased tomorrow for the same price they were bought at today,” he said.

All essential services of the people have collapsed. The CEB says that the reason for this power crisis is that the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) not issuing furnace oil for them and that they are forced to impose power cuts. The CPC says they are not releasing furnace oil since payments have not been made for years on behalf of oil issued. The fact that is apparent here is the weak management of the government and due to those problems have arisen in every field of the country.

Several power plants have become inactive. We have doubts whether power plants are even being maintained properly. It has been decided to close the Oil Refinery at Sapugaskanda due to the lack of dollars. It is at this refinery that furnace oil required for power plants are being produced. When that is shut down, there is no way furnace oil can be imported. There are signs of dry weather in the immediate future and as a result we cannot trust in hydropower either,” Wijewardene said.

Chief Incumbent of the Sri Sambodhi Vihara of Siyambalapewatte, Ven Hambegamuwe Sashanasiri Nayaka Thera, Asanka Wijayalath of Siyambalapewatte Rural Development Society, Biyagama Electorate Manager Indrasiri Jayasinghe, Opposition leader of the Biyagama Pradeshiya Sabha Prasanna Sampath, Biyagama PS member Mali Algama were also present.