News

Energy Minister’s shocking statement

 

Power and Energy Minister John Seneviratne was absent at a crucial discussion between President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the Ceylon Electricity Board Engineers’ Union last Sunday at which a series of issues relating to the engineers of the CEB were discussed. Among the issues discussed was the removal of the CEB Chairman Mr. Udaya Kariyawasam.

The President later directed Mr. Kariyawasam to handover his resignation with immediate effect.
The CEB engineers’ union demanded the removal of the CEB Chairman on grounds of corruption and disruption of the Board’s work. The engineers also threatened to disrupt regular operations unless the government replaced the chairman with a person qualified to head the public enterprise.

However last week Minister Seneviratne told The Sunday Times that the appointment of the chairman or his removal is the right and responsibility of the Minister and the engineers had no say in it.

Mr. Udaya Kariyawasam

Following the chairman’s resignation the Minister said, “Mr. Kariyawasam tended his resignation last week. He decided to do so as there was no point in remaining at the CEB which was not functioning properly with breakdowns not being attended to by engineers”. He added that findings of the President’s Investigation Unit stated he should not be appointed to the public position and therefore Mr. Kariyawasam had opted to step down.

Mr. Seneviratne said he was attending a meeting at Ratnapura and therefore could not be present at the meeting with the engineers. He added he had later met the President and discussed the issue.
Secretary to the Power and Energy Ministry, M.M.C. Ferdinando was appointed as the acting chairman this week.

The Minister said no decision had been taken on appointing a new chairman. President of the CEB Engineers’ Union, Jayawilala Meegoda said that the union also demanded a suitable working environment be created.“We asked for an environment that’s suitable for work and the President assured us that this would be met”, he said adding they also raised the issue of using private contractors for local projects which resulted in doubling the cost of these projects.

 
Top to the page  |  E-mail  |  views[1]

 

Other News Articles
JVP rejects President’s call
Troops say they capture key LTTE area
JVP dissidents form alliance with TMVP
Govt considers moves to block demos near HSZs
Fast-flying Rohitha soars above budget
Parties busy finalising candidates
Vaccination suspended after children show side effects
Odds and Ends
Secrets behind the secret Indian visit
They live in hope to go home one day
Energy Minister’s shocking statement
Duty free vehicle demand on hold
CBK’s Golf Course case: SC slams UDA as rich man’s land agent
Human Rights Commission under fire
Iranian to be charged under penal code
Press Institute to take legal action against newspaper
What little the poor have is taken from them
Sub-committee to look into grievances of journalists
Panchakarma Treatment Centre for Trinco hospital
Crowd protests over attacks on UNP offices
Release Tissa, Ven. Samitha asks Govt.
Battered student-monks vow to strike back
Swift action needed to save wall from swallows
The fall of Lanka's Foreign Service
Greed drives farmers to disaster
PC elections may disrupt A/Level exam
Grenade found in HRC van

 

 
Reproduction of articles permitted when used without any alterations to contents and a link to the source page.
© Copyright 2008 | Wijeya Newspapers Ltd.Colombo. Sri Lanka. All Rights Reserved.| Site best viewed in IE ver 6.0 @ 1024 x 768 resolution