The Electricity Consumers’ Association (ECA) stated that the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) would have to be maintained for at least a few more months as the restructuring process continues, and stressed that it should therefore have a permanent chairperson other than the Energy Ministry Secretary Prof. Udayanga Hemapala, who is currently serving as the acting CEB Chairperson.

ECA General Secretary Sanjeewa Dhammika told The Daily Morning that although the CEB has already been divided into four companies under the restructuring, the institution itself would need to operate for several more months until the process is complete. 

“The Ministry Secretary, who now holds the post, is already overburdened. He doesn’t even respond to telephone calls, likely because of his workload. The Government should therefore appoint someone else as the CEB Chairperson,” he said.

He further said that there could be issues in the CEB’s decision-making process due to the Energy Ministry Secretary serving as its acting chairperson. “When we point out that there will be problems because of his presence, the response that we get is that there is no issue since the decisions are made by the CEB’s Board of Directors. But, isn’t there a possibility for the directors to be influenced, given that he is the Ministry Secretary?”

Energy Minister, engineer Kumara Jayakody and Prof. Hemapala were not available for comment.

Following the resignation of Dr. Tilak Siyambalapitiya as the Chairperson of the CEB early this year, Prof. Hemapala was appointed as the acting CEB Chairperson. The CEB announced Siyambalapitiya’s resignation to the Colombo Stock Exchange on 27 May, and on the same day ratified Hemapala’s appointment as the Chairperson and Non-Executive/Independent Board Member.