(Lanka-e-News -19.March.2016, 9.00AM) An independent group of engineers of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has in a letter addressed to prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe given details of an electricity power mafia within the CEB. A copy of that letter has been sent to Lanka e news too.
Based on what this group had revealed, the resignation of the chairman of the Board after accepting responsibility for the recent power failure does not resolve the actual issue. As long as the internal mafia is continuing its operation which even the chairman is unable to control, this issue will not see an end.
Dear Mr. Ranil Wickramasinghe,
When you speak to the ordinary people of the country, they blame to the government not to CEB officials for failing to supply reliable power. Now all will end up in the account of CEB Chairman as he accepted responsibility on recent failures and resigned by himself. Of course he didn’t make any failures by himself, but it is a fact that he was unable to manage and direct his CEB team to work on the duties they are supposed to perform. Due to his weak management CEB high rankers found more than enough time to spend on their personal business including MR regime return activities such as ECTA phobia innovated by Padeniya mafia.
We hereby take your time to explain few facts on some corruptions done by these senior officials during the recent past. To save your valuable time we take the liberty to present this in point form.
Mr. M C Wickramasekara (Wiki), General Manager, CEB
Wiki supposed to be the GM of CEB before previous Mr. Shavi Fernando.
But during the tenure of Mr. Patali Ranawaka at Ministry of Power and Energy, he voluntarily stepped back and gave the chance to Shavi.
Then during this period, Wiki as an AGM of CEB spent most of his time for visiting China and Korea (Including famous trips to Chinese girls arranged by Norochcholei Power Plant contractor).
He has made deals with bit of Chinese and Korean Power Sector firms both Equipment Manufacturers and Contractors.
He has asked one of his friend to form a firm to get local agencies on said firms and he is also an informal partner of this firm.
One such a contract was awarded to LSIS, Korea last year to build a 132/33 kV substation at Mannar.
LSIS has quoted a very low price surprising all, even with the domestic preference advantage Lanka Transformers price is also bit higher than them.
But contract award was delayed unusually.
Suddenly CEB Generation Planning division realized that Mannar is a wind base and there will be few wind plants to be constructed there.
CEB Generation Planning team commented that the wind plants shall be connected to the grid at 220 kV level, not at 132 kV level.
Then LSIS, Korea was asked to give a variation offer for 220 kV substation instead of 132 kV substation.
LSIS, Korea grabbed the opportunity and submitted a highly inflated offer covering the previous highly lowest offer losses as well.
From the top of the cup, this seems to be a genuine technical variation. But this was pre-planned among CEB GM, Ms. Kamani Jayasekara (Generation Planning Division) and LSIS, Korea.
Fortunately, this manipulation couldn’t be achieved yet, but still Wiki hasn’t stopped his attempt.
This CEB GM recently tried to form a new Additional General Manager position at CEB for Project Consultancy.
Generally, CEB doesn’t provide consultancy services. It is totally beyond their scope of duties.
But it was learnt that he has a firm connection with local consultancy firm who is willing to consult for CEB projects.
Fortunately, this manipulation also couldn’t be achieved due to the objections from other CEB Engineers.
Ms. Kamani Jayasekara, Deputy General Manager (Generation Planning Division), CEB
Now she is in this post more than 10 years. All know that she is not willing to give this post to any other. During the Rajapakshe Regime, she was strong and well connected with the regime, managed to secure her post without any hassle.
Current CEB Chairman too tried to transfer her but failed due to protests.
What she has done is, she made CEB generation planning for years and manipulated in accordance to the requirement of power sector so called mafia businessmen.
Since these mafias were working closely with Mr. Ferdinando, former secretary to Ministry of Power and Energy, Kamani and himself were also very good friends and enjoyed jointly the benefits from mafia leaders.
Mr. Anurudda Tilakarathne, Project Manager, CEB and Secretary of CEB Engineers Union
He was the project manager of Kilinochchi Grid Substation Project funded by JICA.
Being a JICA project and time of construction was at the just-war-end era, the project cost was marginally higher than the normal and it’s accepted.
But almost after years of completion he used the balance loan amount to get TWO NOS OF POWER TRANSFORMERS as spares from the same contractor at a higher price and used for some other sites.
If CEB goes for a competitive bidding to get two transformers separately, the price might be very low.
But he purposely got these two transformers at a high price, local agent of these transformers is a very good friend of him.
This is the first time in CEB history, someone got complete POWER TRANSFORMERS as SPARES.
Ms. Yamuna Samarasinghe and Mr. Chandana Samarasinghe, Additional General Managers, CEB
They are husband and wife.
And both are business partners of Wiki, CEB GM.
There is a long due cable fault on a power cable between two primary substations at Colombo City.
Yamuna and her favourites intentionally delayed the repair of this fault.
Recently Yamuna tried to call a tender to supply and lay separate cables to the either side primary substations of faulty cable section from all other primary substations in Colombo City.
If this cable repair has been done at correct time, cost might be around 4 Mill. LKR. Now the new proposal costs 4 Bill. LKR.
Wiki and Chandana tried to get this contract for their personal firm.
Still the Colombo City Power Network at a reliability risk due to this long dragged fault.
Independent Engineers of CEB
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by (2016-03-19 03:29:20)
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3 discussion on this news
CEB only place in world generation dominated by electrical engineers not mechanical......
-- by Gihan on 2016-03-19
What about removing all diesel and heavy fuel driven generators out from grid...
-- by Gihan on 2016-03-19
Mr. Wickramasekara voluntarily stepped back and gave the post to Shavi because he lost his 24 year old only son during that year who died of a heart failure. He was not in a correct frame of mind at that time to accept a post like that. He was grieving at home not going all over the world as your article suggests.. He is a nice honorable man who had to go through hell because of his son's death. As far as I know he uses his salary from CEB to do charity work in the name of his son since his death so why would he go through all the trouble to increase his income when he doesn't use a cent for his wellbeing. Please find proper information before accusing innocent people
-- by Luki on 2016-03-19
