By Niranjala Ariyawansha

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has warned that the country would have to face a severe power crisis if the ongoing work-to-rule campaign, by CEB Engineers’ Union (CEBEU), continues.

CEB General Manager A.K. Samarasinghe said the situation could aggravate due to the resistance, by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), to its Power Generation Plan.

“We cannot go on like this. The majority in the CEB management are engineers. Hence, the current issue has become rather complex,” he said.

He however said there were no power outages reported thus far due to the work-to-rule and therefore the public had not been inconvenienced as yet.

He however warned that the public will face severe problems if any of the power stations were to breakdown.

“If a power station malfunctions, we will need the expertise of the engineers. Therefore, if one shuts down this evening, we will have to wait till morning for them to report to work,” he pointed out.

However, the CEBEU warned that if any power failures were to occur during the course of its work-to-rule campaign, the Government will have to shoulder the blame.
CEBEU President Saumya Kumarawadu said they had decided to distribute posters and leaflets concerning the current situation at the CEB and the PUCSL from 15 May in all major cities of the country.

The CEBEU commenced its work-to-rule campaign demanding the Least Cost Long Term Generation Expansion Plan (LCLTGEP) for 2018 to 2037 be approved by the PUCSL.
Another demand of the CEBEU is for the removal of the Director General of the PUCSL, Damitha Kumarasinghe and to appoint a professionally qualified officer to that post.

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