Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa says the government has triggered nationwide power cuts and inflicted financial losses of Rs. 18 billion on households through a fraudulent coal procurement deal.
Speaking in Parliament, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) leader said that the government has failed to honour its commitment to provide an uninterrupted electricity supply.
He alleged that the use of substandard coal imported under the deal caused critical breakdowns at all three 300-megawatt units of the 900-megawatt Norochcholai Power Plant.
The Opposition Leader said that the resulting financial fallout is now being passed directly onto 8.1 million electricity consumers across 6.1 million households.
He highlighted that electricity prices have been hiked by 13 percent per unit, driving up production costs for essential food items such as bread and bakery products.
Premadasa also warned that the tariff increase strikes a devastating blow to low-income groups, particularly plantation communities.
He pointed out that as families allocate a greater share of household income to meet rising food costs, spending on non-food essentials declines, creating severe hardships for schoolchildren.
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