- Bill before Cabinet this week and Parliament next month
The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has commenced the initial technical and financial discussions for the restructuring of the institution, The Sunday Morning learns.
This, as the CEB reforms bill is to be presented to the Cabinet of Ministers tomorrow (11).
The discussions have commenced within the institutions for the first time following the appointment of the CEB Chairman to the steering committee for the restructuring of the CEB.
Underlining the importance of involving the Government and the CEB itself in the restructuring process, several senior officials had emphasised that it should be a policy decision made collectively, The Sunday Morning learns.
The CEB’s reform process was set in motion last year with the establishment of a committee, following Cabinet memorandums dated 29 July 2022, 15 August 2022, and 2 September 2022, aimed at instituting reforms in the power sector.
The committee, chaired by Dr. R. H. S. Samaratunga, a former Secretary of the Finance Ministry, was tasked with reviewing the scope and institutional framework outlined in Chapter VI of the Electricity Reform Act No.28 of 2002.
Their objective was to assess these parameters in light of the present socioeconomic and governance needs of the country and recommend a more dynamic, effective, and efficient institutional framework for the CEB, including the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO).
In addition to Dr. Samaratunga, the committee comprised former Secretary to the Ministry of Power and Energy M.M.C. Ferdinando, former AGM of the CEB Dr. Susantha Perera, former Chairman of the Board of Investment Thilan Wijesinghe, Petroleum Development Authority Chairman and Port City Economic Commission Director General Saliya Wickramasuriya, former Legal Consultant to the Public Enterprise Reforms Commission President’s Counsel Nihal Jayawardhane, former Senior State Counsel at the AG’s Department Attorney-at-Law Harsha Fernando, and Ministry of Power and Energy Director Chandana Wijesinghe.
The committee submitted its final report on 20 October 2022.
Previously, unions affiliated with the CEB expressed concerns about their exclusion from the process. A senior engineer from the CEB clarified that they were not opposed to reforms but stressed the need for transparency and the involvement of experienced experts in the field.
Meanwhile, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera told Parliament that the bill to restructure the CEB would be presented to Cabinet this week and to Parliament next month.
– By Maheesha Mudugamuwa
- https://www.themorning.lk/articles/GiiqxT0OwI1vuoCGx3j3
