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Monks call off ‘poya blackout’ after Govt. U-turn on tariff hike

10 Oct 2022

By Buddhika Samaraweera The Buddhist clergy suspended a protest that was planned to be carried out yesterday (9) by turning off the lights in Buddhist temples across the island, after the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) agreed to provide relief regarding the electricity tariff on religious places, including Buddhist temples, which was recently increased by 555%. Speaking to the media on Sunday (9), PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake stated that after discussions with the Chief Prelates (Mahanayakes) of the three Buddhist sects, as well as Buddhist monks and other religious leaders, the PUCSL had decided to provide relief regarding the increased electricity tariff of religious places.  “Before we increased the electricity tariffs, we held public consultations, but we did not receive any proposals or complaints at the time. Afterwards, however, the Buddhist clergy and other religious leaders brought this matter to our attention and we held further discussions with them. As a result of these discussions, we realised that this tariff hike could lead to a breakdown of this system. That is why we have taken this decision to reduce the tariff. Furthermore, we saw that there was a blackout planned in protest against this decision tonight (9), but now that has been suspended, which is a good thing. At this time we need solutions, not more problems,” he said. He added that the new tariff revision would be effective retroactively from 10 August, the day the increased tariffs came into effect. Ratnayake said that the relevant institutions such as the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Lanka Electricity Company (LECO) have been instructed by the commission to make the relevant calculations in line with the revised rates. Under the latest tariff revision, it has been decided to consider religious places that use more than 180 units of electricity as institutions consuming power for general purposes, and thus calculate the price charged for every unit exceeding 180 units at the rate of Rs. 32 instead of Rs. 65. Accordingly, the PUCSL has announced that the electricity bill for religious places that use more than 180 units, under the newest revision of the tariff, will be reduced by more than half of the amount they were to be charged after the previous tariff hike of 555%. Following this announcement by the PUCSL, the People's Assembly (Mahajana Sabha), which includes several parties such as religious leaders, civil society organisations, and trade unions of several Government, semi-Government, and private sector trade unions, stated that the protest that was scheduled to be held yesterday by turning off the lights at religious places, particularly Buddhist temples, was suspended. However, the assembly, which includes Embilipitiya Bodhiraja Temple Chief Incumbent Ven. Omalpe Sobhitha Thera, who greatly opposed the said tariff hike in the recent past, stated that the protest action will be launched if the announced tariff revision is not implemented as promised by the PUCSL in the coming months. The PUCSL, in August 2022, approved an average 75% price hike in the electricity tariff for all electricity consumers in the country, which PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake said was the first electricity tariff hike in nine years. He said that the electricity tariff hike was made after two proposals forwarded by the CEB this year to hike prices. According to CEB data, tariffs for electricity used at religious places had been hiked by 555%, driving up the charge per unit from Rs. 7.42 to Rs. 48.65. Meanwhile, the Central Provincial Sangha Sabha (Monks’ Council) of the Sri Lanka Ramanna Sect had met recently to discuss the Government’s decision to increase the electricity tariffs on religious places. The monks who participated in the discussion expressed their opposition to the Government’s decision, claiming that many Buddhist temples could not afford the increase. They also said that they would request the temples across the country to turn off all the lights and leave the temples in darkness on the Vap Full Moon Poya day, which fell yesterday, to protest the Government’s decision.  


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