President Declares Electricity and Key Public Services as Essential Amid Adverse Weather

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has issued an extraordinary gazette notification declaring a number of services, including the supply of electricity, as essential services in view of the severe adverse weather conditions prevailing in the country.

The gazette has been issued under the powers vested in the President in terms of Section 2 of the Essential Public Services Act, No. 61 of 1979, and takes effect from today.

In addition to electricity, several other critical sectors have been declared essential to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of services to the public during the current situation.

The services declared as essential are:

1. All services connected to the supply of electricity.
2. The supply or distribution of fuel, including petroleum products and gas.
3. All services, work, or labour required for the maintenance, reception, care, feeding, and treatment of patients in hospitals, nursing homes, dispensaries, and similar institutions.
4. Public transport services for the transportation of passengers or goods.
5. Facilitation and maintenance of transportation and tourism services by road, rail, or air, including highways, bridges, culverts, airports, ports, and railways.
6. All services connected to the supply of water and drainage.
7. All services connected with the supply, safeguarding, and distribution of food and essential commodities.
8. All services, work, or labour carried out by District Secretariats, Divisional Secretariats, Grama Niladharis, Samurdhi Development Officers, Agricultural Research Assistants, Community Empowerment Officers, officers of the Clean Sri Lanka Centralised Team, and all field-level officers of district and divisional secretariats.
9. Ambulance services.
10. All state banking and insurance services, including the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
11. All services carried out by local authorities related to the supply of water, electricity, drainage and sewerage systems, fire-fighting and ambulance services, scavenging, and garbage removal, including the disposal of waste.
12. All services connected to irrigation.
13. All services connected to telephone, telecommunication, and media.
14. All services connected to the reclamation and development of low-lying lands.
15. All services connected to agriculture and agricultural insurance.

The declaration is aimed at ensuring continuity of essential public services during the ongoing adverse weather conditions.