The Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union (CEBEU) said yesterday (25) that Eng. Dr. Rohantha Abeysekara was appointed as the CEB Acting General Manager (GM), following the controversial temporary appointment of Dr. M.N. Susantha Perera.
“Dr. Abeysekara, the senior most electrical engineer, has now been appointed as the GM of the CEB,” the CEBEU said in a statement issued in this regard.
Attempts by The Morning to contact CEB Chairman M.M.C. Ferdinando regarding this matter yesterday proved futile.
The CEBEU launched a sick leave campaign on 18 January against what they claim to be the “illegal appointment of Eng. Dr. M.N. Susantha Perera”, as the new temporary GM of the CEB. Eng. Dr. Perera assumed duties as the GM on 15 January. According to the CEBEU, Perera was also the second witness on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka during the signing of the agreement between New Fortress Energy Inc. (NFE) and the Government. Ferdinando was the first witness.
The National People’s Power Leader and Parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayake tabled the aforementioned agreement in Parliament on 10 December 2021, which shows that the deal was signed between the Government and NFE Sri Lanka Power Holdings Limited Liability Company (LLC). A copy of this shows that Ferdinando and Dr. Perera have signed as the first and second witnesses on behalf of the Government.
The CEBEU earlier said that the appointment of Dr. Perera as the GM has been made in violation of Section 5 (1) of the CEB Act (that the appointment be made with approval from the Power Minister) and Section 5 (4) (that the GM shall retire from office at the age of 60 years).
On Sunday (23), the CEBEU expressed its displeasure at the conduct of Ferdinando, who, they claim “is trying to run the CEB as his own property and doing all these manipulations to achieve his sole ambition in the CEB – striking the Yugadanavi/Kerawalapitiya NFE liquefied natural gas (LNG) deal”.
Ven. Elle Gunawansa Thera, Colombo Archbishop His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Samagi Jana Balawegaya General Secretary Ranjith Madduma Bandara, and some office bearers of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, and other parties, including the CEBEU and the Federation of National Organisations, have filed petitions against the Government’s decision to hand over 40% of the shares of the Yugadanavi Power Plant to the NFE, along with a monopoly over supplying LNG.
Accusations have earlier been levelled at the CEBEU for deliberately causing the islandwide power outage that occurred on 3 December 2021, amidst their ongoing trade union action against the aforementioned agreement.
Dr. Rohantha Abeysekara new CEB Acting General Manager
26 Jan 2022
Dr. Rohantha Abeysekara new CEB Acting General Manager
26 Jan 2022