The Hon. Kumara Jayakody

¶ 01 Street lamps are generally provided by local authorities, while installations are often done by the CEB or Lanka Electricity Company. Please clarify the specific issue you raise. Supplying electricity is the CEB’s function; street lamps are provided also by the RDA and local authorities. Provide me with details separately.

¶ 02 Regarding the kovils, please provide the details. Some panels came under Indian credit lines prior to our Government. However, due to grid capacity constraints, some sets were distributed to certain religious sites driven by political preferences to gain votes without securing grid capacity. Now these cannot be connected. Of 5,000 imported panel sets, about 200 are currently unusable due to grid capacity limits. Once we enhance grid capacity, they can be used; otherwise we can install them where capacity exists. The rest have mostly been installed. If you share the details, I can explain the specific reasons. Some religious institutions are returning sets due to lack of grid capacity; others are not. There are practical issues. If you brief me separately, I will assist.