News
CEB trade unions threaten blackout unless govt. suspends New Fortress deal
By Ifham Nizam
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) United Trade Union Alliance is scheduled to stage a major blackout protest on Wednesday against the sale of nearly 40% of shares of the Yugadanavi Power Plant, Kerawalapitiya to US energy firm, New Fortress.
Convener of the union alliance, led by pro-JVP CEB Employees’ Union General Secretary, Ranjan Jayalal said that the trade union action would be similar to the 72-hour trade strike, which crippled the country in 1996.
Jayalal said the CEB trade unions would go ahead with its protest if the government did not suspend the New Fortress agreement immediately.
“Suspend the agreement before 3 November. If you fail to do so, then we will cripple the power sector.
This will not be something like closing schools,” Jayalal said.
He added that the leaders of 11 political parties had promised to engage in a protest simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the engineers of the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) yesterday said it would support the trade union alliance’s call for the protest, and hold a protest opposite the CEB headquarters in Colombo on Wednesday.
An executive member of the CEBEU told The Island that they regretted any inconvenience that would be caused to the public due to their union action. “We have tried to negotiate with the government authorities but they are not flexible. We may have to decide on severe actions if the government goes ahead with the unsolicited proposal of the New Fortress Energy Ltd of the US.”
The CEBEU says that natural gas would be the next fossil fuel option for the country in respect of the country’s plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.
Accepting deposits from political parties and independent groups who intend to contest the forthcoming Local Authorities Election ended at 12noon today [19].
Deposits were accepted at respective District Secretariats from 3rd March 2025.
The Elections Commission has announced that the deadline for the accepting of nominations for the LA poll is set to conclude at 12:00 noon tomorrow (20).
It has been reported that the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Deshabandu Tennakoon has appeared before the Matara Magistrate’s Court this morning (19),
The former IGP had been evading arrest after the Matara Magistrate’s court had ordered his arrest regarding a shooting incident that took place in front of the W15 Hotel Pelena, Weligama, Matara, in 2023.
The government has begun recovering funds obtained by former Lands and Land Development, Environment and Wildlife Resources Minister SM Chandrasena for the Janatha Lanka Chilli Marketing Limited (JLCML), which he headed, Parliament was informed yesterday.
Agriculture, Livestock, Land, and Irrigation Minister Namal Karunaratne said that as the Chairman of JLCML, Chandrasena had obtained a loan of Rs. 1,275,000 from the Mihintale Govijana Seva Bank in 2001.
The principal of the loan had not been repaid until the end of last year. “After we came to power, we demanded that the loan be settled. Then, we discovered that the interest on the loan had not been paid for the past 24 years, and attempts had been made to have the loan written off. We stopped that and are now in the process of recovering the interest of Rs. 1,975,233 on the loan,” Karunaratne said.
Karunaratne added that JLCML was registered as a company with the Registrar of Companies on March 21, 2001. As Chairman of the company, Chandrasena requested a loan of Rs. 10 million on April 19, 2001, for the purpose of purchasing chillies from farmers in 12 farmer colonies in the Mihintale Agrarian Service area.
The request was approved by the Mihintale Agrarian Service Committee on the same day and referred to the Anuradhapura District Agrarian Operations Committee, which approved it on April 23, 2001. However, the Agriculture Development Commissioner General recommended that a loan of Rs. 1.2 million would suffice for this purpose. JLCML took the loan and failed to repay it until the end of last year. When the matter was raised, the principal was paid, and we are now in the process of recovering the interest that was not paid for the past 24 years,” Karunaratne added.
By Saman Indrajith
Accepting deposits for Local Authorities Election concludes
At least 12 dead in Honduras plane crash
Putin agrees in Trump call to pause Ukraine energy attacks but no full ceasefire
-
Foreign News4 days agoSearch continues in Dominican Republic for missing student Sudiksha Konanki
-
Features6 days agoRichard de Zoysa at 67
-
Features3 days agoThe Royal-Thomian and its Timeless Charm
-
News4 days agoDPMC unveils brand-new Bajaj three-wheeler
-
Features3 days ago‘Thomia’: Richard Simon’s Masterpiece
-
Features6 days agoSL Navy helping save kidneys
-
Sports1 day agoSri Lanka to compete against USA, Jamaica in relay finals
-
Features5 days agoWomen’s struggles and men’s unions