For the first time the Power and Energy Ministry and the Joint Trade Union Alliance of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) are on one platform to reveal that a ‘mafia’ now exists in the power sector that involves various parties including politicians who become billionaires.
Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka who had cracked down on this mafia claimed that the persons behind the mafia were billionaires and they did everything possible to destabilize the power sector in the country.
CEB Joint Trade Union Alliance member Ranjan Jayalal alleged that the ‘electricity mafia’ was largely made up of those who had connections with the government.
Minister Ranawaka appealed to the employees of the CEB and certain consumers not to become tools of these mafia men as it would destabilize the power sector. However Jayalal refuted claims that CEB employees or trade unions were tools of that mafia and alleged that even parliamentarians were involved.
Elaborating further Jayalal explained that it was an easy task for anyone to build a mini hydropower plant and sell it to the CEB if that person had ‘connections’ with the government.
Jayalal agreed with Minister Ranawaka’s claim that there was an ‘electricity mafia’ in the power sector.
He lamented that unfortunately Minister Ranawaka was part of a ‘criminal government’ and added that the minister had only two options; either to remain or resign. “But what we see now is that the good minister has chosen to toe the line of the government,” he said.
http://www.nation.lk/edition/news-online/item/8800-mps-involved-in-electricity-mafia.html