Govt. withdraws controversial Electricity Amendment Bill

• MR calls for withdrawal as Bill proposed to take powers away from PUCSL and allow Minister to decide power purchases at any price 
• AG notifies Parliament that Bill violates Constitution
• Speaker Jayasuriya says Bill should take observations of Sectoral Oversight Committee into account  

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

The Government yesterday withdrew the controversial Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill in Parliament based on objections raised by the Attorney General that the proposed legislation violated the Constitution and Opposition criticism that it will increase powers of the subject Minister.   

Shortly before the Bill was moved in the Parliament, Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapaksa who was on his feet, requested that the Speaker disapprove the Motion, arguing it could set negative prior examples by giving full authority to the Minister to decide power purchases and the price by overriding the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL).

MP Rajapaksa, highlighting the objections raised by the Attorney General, said: “We understand the Speaker has received a letter from the Attorney General raising objections against the Sri Lanka Electricity Amendment Bill. He has also held that the particular Bill if moved, will violate the Constitution. The Engineers’ Association has also stood against this Bill. This Bill will provide boundless authority to the Minister to decide the purchasing of power at any price. The Minister will keep changing and it will set a bad prior example. I request the Government to withdraw this Bill and re-present it after deliberation.”

Adding to MP Mahinda Rajapaksa’s request, Speaker Karu Jayasuriya held that there were more amendments proposed to the Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill at the Sectoral Oversight Committee.

Leader of the House Lakshman Kiriella, informing of the delayed receipt of the letter from the Attorney General, said: “We received a letter dated 6 August this morning informing us that certain clauses are against the Constitution. We haven’t received any prior notifications from the Attorney General’s Department.” “It was decided at the Party Leader’s Meeting to move this Bill today in Parliament. Anyway, I was planning to withdraw this Bill prior to the Leader of the Opposition highlighting the issues. We don’t want to violate the Constitution. We are not proceeding with this Bill,” he said explaining the Government’s position.

Immediately after the Bill was withdrawn, the Speaker adjourned the Parliament till 1.00 p.m on 7 August in the absence of any other business scheduled to be taken up for debate.

The amendments to the Act included affecting the deposits charged by the licensee to connect to the grid, approvals given by the Public Utilities Commission and feeding tariff rates paid to non-conventional renewable energy resources. The proposed amendments would have also affected other aspects of the Electricity Act, including powers vested with the PUCSL which was opposed by the Sectoral Oversight Committee as well as other stakeholders.