According to CEB's Additional General Manager K Gnanalingam, the ministries and government institutions have defaulted on the payments though the Treasury had passed the money. Mr. Gnanalingam said if the payments were not forthcoming, the CEB would be forced to deduct from the money it remits to the Treasury annually. He said the CEB proposal to increase tariffs was discussed with Treasury officials and they were awaiting the cabinet approval for the increase. The CEB claims it incurred a 10 billion loss last year and at present is running on a Rs. 4 billion over-draft. Consequently the consumers would have to bear the cost to cover up losses of the Board.
Charges have to be increased to recover the loss or else there has to be some alternatives.
If power cuts are to be avoided there has to be some other way to get the money. The CEB's financial crisis has been further aggravated with its dependence on the thermal power increasing in the face of a below-average rainfall in the catchment areas. CEB Engineer Susantha Perera told The Sunday Times that the institution would be forced to go for emergency generators a costly exercise if rains failed in the catchment areas. In the light of these problems, there would definitely be an increase in the electricity charges, he said. Mahanayake on why he rebuked US envoy By Shane Seneviratne The Ven Rambukwelle Sri Vipassi Mahanayake Thera of the Malwatte chapter who rebuffed US Ambassador Ashley Wills by rejecting a private discussion sans journalists yesterday said that he did not wish to have secret discussion on matters of national importance.