A fault has reportedly occurred in one phase of the Norochcholai Thermal power plant losing about 270 megawatts to the national grid.
Power and Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara in a tweet said that the situation can be remedied within five days.
Despite the fault making a heavy impact on the national grid it will not be necessary to extend the power cuts, he added, promising that necessary measures will be taken in managing the power demand.
MIAP
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is due to deliver a special statement in Parliament tomorrow (04) along with announcing his resignation, sources said.
The Prime Minister is set to announce that he will be resigning from his post honouring the statement made by the Chief Prelates of Buddhism regarding an interim government and paving the way for a new Premier to be appointed, according to sources.
MIAP
According to the agreements reached during the discussion held yesterday (02) between Wimal Weerawansa, Udaya Gammanpila, representatives of the Independent Group including members of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and representatives of the SLPP including Basil Rajapaksa, it is reported that the Senior Vice President of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party Nimal Siripala de Silva has been appointed as the Prime Minister of the Interim Government.
The two sides had agreed to form a “national consensus government” and the SLPP has stated that their party will not propose anyone for the post of Prime Minister in honor of Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is stepping down as Prime Minister.
Sources said that the name of Dullas Alahapperuma, who has been the subject of controversy in the media regarding the post of Prime Minister, has not been mentioned and only the names of the UNP leader, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Nimal Siripala de Silva have been proposed.
Ten members of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya are due to join the interim government and their opposition to the appointment of Ranil Wickremesinghe as the Prime Minister has been discussed.
According to sources, Nimal Siripala de Silva will probably be the next Prime Minister.
The two sides also agreed to repeal the 20th Amendment and re-enact the 19th Amendment as the first step in this interim government.
However, the leaders of the SLPP have stated that they will announce their position on whether they will take over the ministerial posts in the new government, sources added.
Leader of the JVP Anura Dissanayake’s special media briefing under the theme ‘රට වනසපු හොරු වළල්ල – තොග පිටින් හෙළිදරව්ව’ is currently being held at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute, Colombo 07.
The party says that a number of large-scale corruptions that have taken place in the country in the recent past will be revealed at this media briefing.
The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) has issued a special gazette notification imposing a control price on local Nadu and Samba rice.
Accordingly, the maximum retail price of a kilogram of local white/red Nadu rice is 220 rupees, a kilogram of boiled local white/red samba rice is 230 rupees and a kilogram of local Keeri Samba rice is 260 rupees.
After the current government came to power, the maximum retail prices initially imposed on Nadu and Samba rice in December 2019 were less than half of this new price. That is 98 rupees.
Parliament is due to reconvene tomorrow. The media had reported yesterday that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa is preparing to resign from the post of Prime Minister by making a special statement in Parliament tomorrow.
However, parliamentary sources say that Mahinda Rajapaksa has not yet sought permission from the Speaker to make a special statement.
The Samagi Jana Balawegaya is preparing to table a no-confidence motion against the government in Parliament tomorrow. The group of UNP MPs is scheduled to meet today for final discussions in this regard. The National Organizer of the party Tissa Attanayake says that the final decisions regarding the no confidence motion will be taken at that discussion.
Meanwhile, a meeting is scheduled to be held today between the representatives of the 11 parties that have left the government and are functioning as an independent group in Parliament. It is reported that this meeting will be held in Colombo this morning.
The 11-party group has proposed the formation of a national government for a short period of time as a solution to the current crisis. The 11 party group also held discussions with the SLPP yesterday and the party has agreed in principle for a national government.
Meanwhile, the post of Deputy Speaker is also being discussed. The SLPP has nominated Badulla District Parliamentarian Dilan Perera for the post, but he has rejected it. Several names have been suggested by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya but no final decision has been taken so far. This will also be discussed at today’s meeting of the Parliamentary Group.
A meeting is to be held today between the group of parliamentarians who are independent of the government and the Samagi Jana Balawegaya to discuss the proposal to form a national consensus government.
SLPP has also agreed with the National Government during a discussion held between the President and Basil Rajapaksa yesterday.
However, the opposition has long stated that it will not support a national government or an all-party government with the current president and prime minister.
Basil Rajapaksa says that Mahinda Rajapaksa might resign from the post of Prime Minister at the request of the Mahanayake Theras, but the SLPP will not propose any other name other than the name of Mahinda Rajapaksa, for the post even after a few time.
That was stated during a discussion held with the MPs who became independent from the government yesterday.
It is reported that Basil Rajapaksa has said that the SLPP was not prepared to propose another name outside the mandate as the consensus reached by the people at the last election was to nominate Mahinda Rajapaksa for the post of Prime Minister.
Despite the mandate of the people at that time, many are of the opinion that the government will have to take an open decision as a step towards achieving political stability in a backdrop where the people are facing opposition to the government led by the President.
The Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) has to pay approximately US $ 200,000 in demurrage charges for a fuel shipment laying off the Colombo coast awaiting payment to unload the consignment,informed sources revealed.
The Ministry of Energy says at least $ 15,000 had to be paid per day in demurrage charges to the ship that has been waiting since 23 March.
“It has been waiting for some time now, since 23 March. We have to pay demurrage charges as well and it is usually between $ 15,000-$ 18,000 per day for demurrage charges,” a senior official of the ministry said.
However, Sri Lanka is still facing payment challenges for fuel imports with the state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) owing $235 million for shipments already received, while about $500 million more will be needed to pay for letters of credit maturing over the next six weeks.
“A consignment of 40,000 MT of diesel arrived at the port recently . It will be discharged shortly to fuel sheds as well as 12,000 MT for power generation. It is the second consignment using the Indian credit line,” he said, adding that it had been procured at a cost of $ 38 million.
He said that there were another two ships with crude oil in the open seas but they were at the risk of turning back if payments were not made.
Sri Lanka has extended a credit line with India by $200 million in order to procure emergency fuel stocks, the country’s power and energy minister said on Monday, with four shipments due to arrive in May.
Colombo was also in talks with New Delhi over extending the credit line by an additional $500 million, minister Kanchana Wijesekera told a news conference.
Sri Lanka has used $400 million, on multiple shipments in April, of the $500 million credit line extended by India earlier this year, Wijesekera said. Two fuel shipments will be paid for from the remaining funds in May.
“The Indian credit line was extended by $200 million recently and this will be utilised for four shipments in May. Talks are continuing for a further $500 million with India so in total the credit line will be $1.2 billion,” Wijesekera said.
The Global Tamil Forum (GTF) expresses its deep appreciation to Chief Minister Honourable M. K. Stalin for his consistent effort to provide humanitarian aid from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka. Last month Chief Minister Stalin had engagements with Honourable Prime Minister Modi and Honourable Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar on this issue, and now the State Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging “the central government to positively consider the request of the Tamil Nadu Government to immediately send food and other essential commodities including lifesaving medicines from Tamil Nadu to the people of Sri Lanka, who are facing severe hardships”. The State Government has decided to provide 40,000 tonnes of rice, 137 types of lifesaving drugs and 500 tonnes of milk powder for children, all valued at an estimated Indian Rs. 123 crore. Chief Minister Stalin indicated in his speech that this was only the first instalment and called on the Tamil Nadu people to contribute generously.
Chief Minister Stalin emphasised though he had initially announced to help Tamils in Sri Lanka, various leaders from the Tamil community in Sri Lanka had requested that the aid be not confined only to the Tamils and the assistance should be for all Sri Lankan citizens, “which moved me.” He added, “I could not control my emotions on hearing this. This is Tamil culture.”
GTF appreciates the many calls from the Tamils in Sri Lanka to extend Tamil Nadu aid to all deserving recipients irrespective of their ethnicity or religion, and particularly would like to acknowledge the highly publicised calls from the Tamil National Alliance Spokesperson Sumanthiran MP and Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader Mano Ganesan MP. We are also deeply touched by the generous spirit with which Chief Minister Stalin has acceded to these commendable requests.
GTF recognises the remarkable and hopeful developments taking place in Sri Lanka and their potential to trigger meaningful and long-lasting changes in the country. Any such changes have to include transitioning Sri Lanka into a truly pluralist state where no community will be left out of the governance arrangements.
GTF sincerely hopes that all communities in Sri Lanka recognise the generosity in spirit with which the issue of Tamil Nadu aid was dealt by the Tamil leaders from both sides of the Palk Strait.