Basil on election campaign promises 24-hour electricity to Jaffna

[TamilNet, Saturday, 20 June 2009, 10:55 GMT]
Basil Rajapakse, President Mahinda Rajapakse’s brother and advisor, who is on a whirling election campaign visit along with cabinet ministers in Jaffna peninsula announced Friday at Chu’n’naakam that he and his retinue are inaugurating a 24 hour electricity supply scheme, sources in Jaffna said. However, the electricity produced by the generators in Chu’n’naakam Sri Lanka Electricity Board (SLEB) which is hardly enough to meet the needs of the peninsula is likely to remain so in view of the production capacity of the existing generators, civil society sources in Jaffna said.

Civil sources in Jaffna comment that the power cut has continued to date, despite a similar campaign by Colombo government two years ago when it announced 24-hour electricity supply to the entire peninsula would be available from January 2008.

A power cut in an alternative scheme is being imposed in Jaffna peninsula since the suspension of Laxapahna hydro electricity in 1990.

Basil Rajapakse was accompanied by John Seniveratne, the Minister of power and electricity, Minister Douglas Devananda and Wimal Weerwansa in his visit to Chu’n’naakam SLEB Friday.

The Chinese firm which had entered into a contract with the Sri Lanka government produces a maximum of 15 MW while the need of the entire peninsula is 36 MW.

Agrico, a local firm, produces 15 MW electricity and SLEB 7 MW at Chu’n’naakam.

But, Agrico which will be terminating its contract in December, is expected leave Jaffna.

This situation will again create a fall in electricity production by fifty percent and in this context a power cut being imposed is inevitable, according to Jaffna SLEB sources.

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