Coal scam cover-up claims emerge as CEB Technicians’ Union says engineers received massive allowances while workers lost benefits.
Coal scam cover-up allegations have been raised by Ceylon Electricity Board Technicians’ Union Chairman Kosala Abesinghe, who claimed that engineers were given allowances worth hundreds of thousands of rupees to keep the coal power plant running.
Abesinghe said these payments had been made to engineers as “extortions” or bribes in order to suppress the controversy surrounding the coal scam.
He also warned that the division of the Electricity Board into six separate companies has created serious difficulties for both electricity workers and consumers.
“Allowances amounting to hundreds of thousands of rupees have been given to engineers to cover up the coal scam, in order to keep the coal power plant running. These allowances have been given as bribes,” Abesinghe said.
He further alleged that while such payments were being made, the rights and privileges of lower-level workers had been cut off.
According to him, not only the generation company, but also the transmission company and the system control company are now facing a severe financial crisis.
Abesinghe added that the distribution company, which directly affects electricity consumers, has also fallen into what he described as a very tragic situation.
