Batticaloa faces power shortage

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 18 February 1998, 23:59 GMT]
Ceylon Electricity board (CEB) sources in Batticaloa said that between January 1997 and January 1998, 65 transformers worth about 13.5 million rupees have been blasted in the district. Of these 37 were 32 KW transformers and 28 were 11 KW transformers.

They also said that 125 concrete electricity pylons were also destroyed during the same period.

The Police blame the Liberation Tigers for systematically attacking transformers to disrupt power supplies to the army.

Transformers in the army controlled areas outside Batticaloa town are kept inside army camps at Navalady, Kirankulam, Puthukudiyiruppu, Chettipalayam, Koddaikallar, Mavadivembu, Sittandy etc.

As a result of this, these villages cannot be supplied electricity fully because of technical problems arising from the location of the camps, said the CEB sources.

They pointed out that the Sri Lankan government provides generators to the CEB in districts outside the north-east to supply power to the essential services there.

Despite several requests by the CEB in Batticaloa for generators over the years, the government has not responded favourably they said.