Power And Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake Promises To End Current Power Crisis Before Sinhala And Tamil New Year

Power and Energy Minister Ravi Karunanayake promised to end the current power and energy crisis before the Sinhala-Tamil new year. 

Speaking at an event in Colombo today, Karunanayake said the public too should support the government's efforts by using electricity sparingly. 

Karunanyake said no measure has been taken since 2010 to expand the capacity of the national electricity grid. The Minister added that constant delays in decision-making had contributed to the current situation. 

Meanwhile, President Maithripala Sirisena has threatened to boycott the Cabinet meeting until the ongoing 'conflict' between the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) is fully resolved. 

The President had made the remark during the weekly Cabinet meeting held yesterday at the Presidential Secretariat. 

Sirisena, at the Cabinet meeting last week, said a "conflict" between the CEB and the PUCSL has resulted in the current power crisis in Sri Lanka. 

The President's remarks came just hours before the senior management of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) was summoned before the Colombo Fort Magistrate following a lawsuit filed by the Public Utilities Commission.