Landowner cooperation paves way for power cable connectivity for South

In a significant development, the long-standing issues surrounding the installation of 150 km, 220 KW power cables through a private estate in Siripagama, Ratnapura, have been successfully resolved.

The consent from the Attygalle family was granted during the conciliation process conducted by the regulations outlined by the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) yesterday.

“The Attygalle family, proprietors of the tea estate under question, have extended their consent for the cable installation without seeking any compensation from either the CEB or the PUCSL. This breakthrough allows the CEB to proceed with the crucial work on the electricity transmission route, connecting Polpitiya, Laxapana to Hambantota, a task expected to be accomplished within a mere six days,” CEB General Manager Rohan Seneviratne told journalists yesterday.

The regulations, published in the Gazette Extraordinary on 25 January 2015 under Section 53 of the Electricity Act No. 20 of 2009, provide the framework for resolving such matters. Remarkably, the matter was swiftly referred to the PUCSL on 2 August and resolved in just eight days.

The controversy emerged when the landowners initially demanded a compensation of Rs. 41 million based on a private estimate, followed by a request for Rs. 9.6 million according to the criteria laid out by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). In contrast, the CEB had offered Rs. 1.6 million as compensation for the land required to lay a 630-meter power cable, a vital link connecting the Southern Province to CEB’s main transmission line.

Seneviratne lauded the Attygalle family’s cooperative stance and emphasised that their agreement to the project without seeking any compensation serves as a testament to their commitment to the well-being of the populace in the South. 

“Members of the Attygalle family approved this move on behalf of the Government and the people in the South, without asking for any compensation. This is something we should all value because the transmission line is going through their private estate,” he added.