News
Places of worship continue power tariffs struggle
View(s):By Chrishanthi Christopher
Sri Lanka’s main electricity supplier is continuing to apply the newly-revised tariffs to places of worship, despite the regulator’s intervention.
Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) deputy general manager Andrew Navamani said the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka had not informed the board of its decision.
The PUCSL on August 10, 2022 approved an increase in tariffs of up to 125% to all users. Even users consuming up to just 30 units were imposed with a 75% revision on monthly bills.
Tariffs were revised by the Ministry of Power and Energy to reflect the cost of production of electricity. Minister Kanchana Wijesekera had said the fuel bill for power generation had exceeded US$100 million per month and the average cost per unit generation had increased to Rs 48.
The worst hit from the new tariffs were religious institutions and charity homes.
In September, the Buddhist clergy objected publicly and some said they could not pay and would not pay. Catholic, Christian, Muslim, and Hindu religious bodies joined in support.
Religious institutions had enjoyed concessionary tariffs of Rs.1.60 per unit of electricity used. But, the revision meant paying up to 550% more.
PUCSL chairman Janaka Ratnayake intervened and protests ended.
The regulator directed the Ministry of Power and Energy and the franchised agent Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) to amend the tariffs applicable to religious institutions and charity homes.
The PUCSL said these institutions had been wrongly categorised and should be placed under the general purpose tariffs effective August 30, 2022. Under this, these institutions will only have to pay Rs. 32 per unit. This would reduce their bills by 50%.
People’s Assembly movement convener Ravi Kumudesh, who had raised the tariffs issue with the PUCSL, said that Mr Ratnayake had realised the injustice of placing these institutions under the private user category.
But, Mr Wijesekera, did not “seem to understand, or did not want to understand,’’ Mr Kumudesh said.
The regulator’s directive said places of worship and charities housing orphans and the destitute should be placed under the general purpose tariffs and charged at Rs. 32 per unit.
Mr Wijesekera has since been silent.
Earlier, when the issue came up in Parliament, the minister said that if a concession was to be granted, devotees would have to pay for the electricity.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe offered to arrange loans for solar panels for the institutions.
LECO had immediately agreed to amend the tariffs in areas under its purview.
“Leco has done it , the other licensees will have to follow,’’ Mr. Ratnayake said.
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