Outrageous electricity tariff
By now all electricity consumers, poor and almost poor middle class, must have cut down their power consumption to a bare minimum. The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) should realise it is the poor citizen that helps to keep the CEB going with their hard earned money and not the rich. Finally the loser will be the CEB.
Already the rich and the very rich are installing large solar panels spending millions, which is peanuts for them, to provide enough power not only to deep freeze their homes but also illuminate their sprawling dwellings and gardens to resemble carnivals at night and still have enough power to supply the CEB. The thermal power companies, big businesses and hotels too will go in for solar and wind power. The CEB will be saddled with defunct coal power plants with coal shipments not arriving due to non- payment of bills similar to the CPC threatening to throttle oil supplies to thermal power plants. Only the hydro-power plants will be left. Its income will get less and less and the supply of power will be greater than the demand. The CEB would then have either to reduce the tariff to an affordable maximum to the consumer, or end up as another white elephant for the country. With the introduction of this new outrageous electricity tariff, the CEB will also have to be prepared for large scale power piracy by unscrupulous persons either by tapping the power lines or rigging the meters. Those who cannot settle the electricity bills due to insufficient funds will resort to paying part of the bills to avoid disconnection and get into arrears, resulting in the CEB having another dilemma to face. No private company would like to buy the CEB with the debts amounting to many billions. So, it should be told truthfully, that either the CEB or the PUC, which is creating many issues, should either revoke the barbarous tariff or face the consequences.
D.L.Sirimanne
Kohuwela
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