The gazette of the drafted Electricity Act, published on the Internet on December 8 has been brought up by the government without containing a single word about consumer protection and it gives powers to the Minister in charge and curtailing the powers of the regulatory body in the electricity sector, Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers Union said.
The Union urges that a scholarly dialogue should be started immediately regarding the matters contained in this Act. The Engineers Union further warns that if this Act is passed in Parliament in this manner, it will mark the sad end of the electricity sector in Sri Lanka.
They also point out that although the new bill for the restructuring of the Electricity Board and the Electricity Sector was approved by the Cabinet on November 20, no discussions were held with the relevant parties during the preparation of this draft.
The union said that many parties tried to discuss this bill before it was passed by the cabinet, but the attempts were thwarted because of the conspiracies of some parties.
The Engineers allege that although the minister in charge of the subject promised to give some opportunity to have a wide range of discussions about the drafted act following the cabinet approval, it has not been done so far.
However, the Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said yesterday in the Parliament that after long discussions and extensive dialogue with all the relevant parties, this bill was referred to the Cabinet for approval and gazetted.
Electricity Amendment Bill to be Submitted in January, Confirms Minister Wijesekera
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