CEB chairman lodges police complaint over power outage

Chairman of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) M.M.C. Ferdinando has lodged a complaint with the Police in connection with the 29 November power outage caused by a technical malfunction on a transmission line.

He said the complaint has been filed while the on-going investigation is trying to establish whether this was an act of sabotage, and that many people both inside and outside the CEB are concerned about the breakdown.

He noted that some are complaining to him that the breakdown was caused by some CEB employees, while others claimed that this was not a normal breakdown.

“I received numerous complaints from members of the public, staff, and other individuals in positions of authority claiming that this is a major issue that should be investigated. As chairman of the board, I have no authority to investigate this matter. So I filed a complaint with the Police and they will look into the rest,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the removal of the electricity superintendents from the CEB Systems Control Division, according to the electrical engineers and superintendents was the reason for the delay in repairing the power outage that occurred on 29 November.

President of the Electricity Board Joint Trade Union Alliance Ranjan Jayalal said an investigation should be conducted to determine whether the breakdown was caused by natural causes or by sabotage.

He stated that they cannot assist in matters or issues such as this since they are in a work-to-rule campaign.

Following a technical malfunction at a transmission line, Sri Lanka experienced a partial power outage on 29 November, causing several areas of the country to go dark and interrupting various services and enterprises.

When quarried, Ministry of Power Spokesman Sulakshana Jayawardena stated the high voltage transmission line from Kotmale to Biyagama had failed, causing power outages in several sections of the island.

He stated that the transmission failure occurred about 7.35 pm and that the demand for electricity was strong at the time, resulting in the shutdown of Mahaweli power generation.