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CEB trade union alliance accuses PUCSL of putting on a charade

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Ceylon Electricity Board United Trade Union Alliance convenor Ranjan Jayalal yesterday alleged that the CEB, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) and the Ministry of Power and Energy were working together to increase the electricity tariff by an unjust amount.Jayalal said that President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to implement his Regaining Sri Lanka agenda and is planning to sell 52 state agencies.

“Once these institutions are privatized, Sri Lanka will have no strategic autonomy. No government will have a say in the country’s economic policy,” he said.Jayalal said that the head of the PUCSL, Janaka Ratnayake, told the Committee on Public Enterprises that his main qualification to be chosen for this position was being a Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) supporter.

“This is his main qualification, and you can understand where he comes from. He pretends that he is opposed to the proposed tariff hike. I will tell you what will happen in a few weeks. The PUCSL will allow a tariff hike and Ratnayake will say that the government was trying to sell a unit of electricity at Rs. 59 but he intervened and made the government only charge Rs. 49 per unit. They all meet in the night and then pretend to be enemies during the day. They are trying to divert people’s attention,” he said.

He said that the unions will not allow the government to increase tariffs as the CEB is making an operational profit. There are seven million electricity consumers, and they will take to the streets if tariffs are increased, Jayalal said.

“One of the biggest problems is the Minister, he has no idea what’s going on,” he said.Meanwhile, CEB Deputy General Manager Noel Priyantha said that the cost of production is 48.42 rupees per unit but the CEB sells at 29.14 rupees.

“So we have to increase. We have been making losses for some time. In 2021 the loss was 22 billion rupees and in 2022, the loss was 151 billion rupees. Things will be worse in 2023. There is a big economic loss in cutting power,” he said.



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INS Sahyadri sets sail from Colombo

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The Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sahyadri which arrived at the Port of Colombo on a formal visit on 04 Apr 25, departed the island today (07 Apr). The Sri Lanka Navy bade customary farewell to the departing ship at the Port of Colombo, following naval traditions.

During the ship’s stay in Colombo, crew members of INS Sahyadri took part in several programmes organized by the Sri Lanka Navy, aimed at enhancing mutual cooperation. In addition, they also explored some tourist attractions in the country. Further, personnel of Sri Lanka Navy had the opportunity to visit INS Sahyadri, gaining insights into her operational capabilities.

 

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Advisory for severe lightning issued for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district

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Color: -Red Warning (Take action) Color: -Amber Advisory (Be prepared) Color: -Green Threat is over

The Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre has issued an Advisory for Severe Lightning for the Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambanthota district.

The advisory issued at 02.00 p.m. today [07 April 2025]  is valid for the period until 11.00 p.m. 07 April 2025

The public are warned that thundershowers accompanied by severe lightning are likely to occur at several places in for Sabaragamuwa, Central and Uva provinces and in Hambantota district. There may be temporary localized strong winds during thundershowers. General public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by lightning activity.

ACTION REQUIRED:

The Department of Meteorology advises that people should:

Seek shelter, preferably indoors and never under trees.
• Avoid open areas such as paddy fields, tea plantations and open water bodies during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using wired telephones and connected electric appliances during thunderstorms.
• Avoid using open vehicles, such as bicycles, tractors and boats etc.
• Beware of fallen trees and power lines.
• For emergency assistance contact the local disaster management authorities.

 

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“Census of Population and Housing 2024” Report Presented to the President

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The report of the “Census of Population and Housing 2024,” conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics, was officially handed over to President Anura Kumara Disanayake this morning (07) at the Presidential Secretariat.

This preliminary report has been prepared based on island wide data collected between October and December 2024.

The report provides details on Sri Lanka’s population, its growth and the distribution of the population across districts.

The information gathered through the census is vital not only for the government but also for other institutions in formulating policies and development plans essential for the country’s progress. Significantly, for the first time in the history of census-collecting in Sri Lanka, data collection was carried out using tablet computers and user-friendly mobile devices.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Finance & Planning, Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the President Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Mahinda Siriwardana, Director General of the Department of Census and Statistics D.D.G.A. Senevirathne and several other officials.

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