It is reported that the Ceylon Electricity Board informed the Supreme Court today (13) that it is ready to pay interest for the year 2023 for the deposits collected by the Ceylon Electricity Board from the consumers in providing new electricity supply.
This notification was made when a fundamental rights petition filed by the Electricity and Renewable Energy Consumers Association was called today.
This petition today S. He was summoned before the three-member Supreme Court bench consisting of Mr. Thureiraja, Mr. Gamini Amarasekara and Mr. Yasanta Kodagoda.
At that time, Deputy Solicitor General Nirmalan Wigneswaran, who appeared for the Ceylon Electricity Board, informed the court that he is ready to pay an annual interest of 11.67 percent for the year 2023 for the deposits collected from the consumers by the Ceylon Electricity Board in providing new electricity connections.
He also informed that the Ceylon Electricity Board will pay the interest from January 2024.
The Supreme Court ordered that the relevant petition be called again on March 21 to find out whether this payment is properly implemented.
Through the petitions filed through lawyer Mr. Ravindranath Dabare, the petitioners claim that under Section 28(3) of the Ceylon Electricity Board Act, the Board should arrange to pay interest for the deposit charged from consumers for providing new electricity connections.
But the Ceylon Electricity Board has not made such interest payment so far and this petition has been submitted requesting a decision that their basic human rights are being violated.