Ministry imports meters from “investor”

The Power and Energy Ministry is importing hundreds of thousands of domestic electricity meters though the government last year stopped the CEB from importing them and decided to manufacture them locally.

Ceylon Electricity Board Chairman Udaya Sri Kariyawasam told The Sunday Times they needed 500,000 meters for this year and the ministry had stepped in to import them because the CEB could not spend beyond Rs. 25 million.

In June last year, the ministry decided to set up a company in collaboration with Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) and another subsidiary company to locally manufacture meters. Ministry Secretary M.M.C. Ferdinando said the importation of meters would continue until the local company started production.

Asked about the delay in starting the new company, Mr. Ferdinando said that an investor had been selected after public notification and that it was from this investor that the ministry was importing the meters until the company started production.
He said once the local production began, the CEB could purchase them at a lower price. He also said the CEB backlog was largely due to the cancellation of five tenders. LECO Chairman Champani Padmasekara said the new company would start operation by the end of April.