Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Claiming that the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has granted special electricity tariff reduction to Housing Apartment Complexes than normal domestic units, Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said today that electricity could be provided to normal domestic units at concessionary rates if the special relief granted to Housing Apartments was withdrawn.

The Minister told Parliament that the eletricity tariff charged from Housing Apartment complexes were 50% lesser than the tariffs charged from normal housing units and raised doubts as to why the PUCSL has allowed such special relief to the Housing Apartments.

The Minister said he expected the PUCSL would change that special relief granted to Housing Apartment Complexes and added that if that was done, domestic consumers could be provided with electricity at concessionary rates.

The Minister also said he was positive that the PUCSL would give the approval to the proposal of electricity tariff revision on February 15 as promised by the Commission.

“The PUCSL promised to the Cabinet and the National Council that it will amend the tariff proposals and give its approval on February 15. We hope they will keep their word,” he said.

He said the power crisis had aggravated due to the delay caused by PUCSL’s approval to tariff hike. (Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera)