A proposed electricity policy could quietly shift the cost of public street lighting onto households, raising concerns about fairness, transparency, and yet another burden on already strained consumers.
The Electricity Users Association has raised serious concerns over a new electricity policy proposed by the government, warning that it could result in people paying for public street lighting through their monthly electricity bills.
According to the Association, the policy plans to recover the cost of street lamps at a regional level by distributing those expenses among electricity consumers living in the same area. National Secretary of the Association, Sanjeewa Dhammika, stated that this would mean an additional charge on household electricity bills, with a proposed cap of up to 2.2 percent of each consumer’s total bill being allocated as street lighting charges.
He explained that the policy also includes a significant structural change. The responsibility for managing and maintaining street lamps, which was previously handled by local government bodies such as municipal councils, urban councils, and pradeshiya sabhas, is set to be removed from them and handed over to a separate external institution.
The Association emphasized that under this new system, both the financial responsibility and the ownership of public street lighting would effectively fall on the public. From maintenance to electricity consumption, the costs would be calculated and passed directly to residents.
Explaining the mechanism, Dhammika said that the wattage of all street lamps in a given area would be calculated, divided among the electricity consumers in that area, and added to their monthly electricity bills. While authorities have indicated that this additional charge would not exceed 2.2 percent of the bill value, the Association warns that even a small percentage could have a noticeable impact, especially on low and middle income households.
The Electricity Users Association argues that public street lighting has always been a civic responsibility managed by local authorities using public funds, and shifting this burden directly onto consumers raises questions about accountability and policy direction.
