News

Sri Lanka’s green energy revolution is being quietly stripped from ordinary citizens and handed over to a handful of powerful corporations.

A sweeping policy shift by the Ministry of Power and Energy threatens to destroy household energy independence while creating a lucrative corporate oligopoly.

On September 11, the Ministry terminated the popular Net Metering and Net Accounting schemes.

Critics warn that the replacement framework fundamentally dismantles the economic case for families to invest in rooftop solar.

Under the previous system, rooftop solar gave consumers a direct shield against surging electricity tariffs.

Households could generate power during peak daylight hours and offset their total electricity consumption, including expensive evening usage.

That model allowed families to recover their solar investment in less than five years.

The new policy flips that equation entirely to the detriment of the consumer.

Households must now sell all their solar generation to the Ceylon Electricity Board at a low rate of around Rs. 23 per unit.

At the same time, those same families are forced to buy electricity back from the grid at residential rates surging past Rs. 42 per unit.

This massive price gap creates a crippling financial penalty for ordinary citizens.

A standard five-kilowatt home system that once wiped out monthly power bills now earns minimal fixed revenue while leaving families exposed to soaring grid tariffs.

Payback periods for home solar systems will now stretch past a decade.

For middle-class families already hit hard by high living costs, financing rooftop solar has become virtually unviable.

Attractiveness drops even further under the Net Plus scheme, which reportedly caps contracts at just 12 years.

State officials argue that rapid rooftop expansion has overloaded substations and threatened overall grid stability during peak daylight hours.

Authorities also contend that seven million non-solar consumers should not bear the fixed costs of maintaining the national grid alone.

While grid stability is a legitimate engineering challenge, the government's response systematically penalises household generators.

There is no sound economic reason why fixing grid stability must require crushing citizen-led renewable investment.

The most damning aspect of this reform is taking shape in the utility-scale battery storage sector.

Recent disclosures and opposition probes reveal that major developers, including WindForce PLC and Vidullanka PLC, swept 13 out of 16 units in one procurement round and 23 out of 25 in another.

Such heavy corporate concentration in state-awarded energy contracts demands immediate and aggressive public scrutiny.

While utility battery storage is vital to capture surplus renewable power, placing that infrastructure in so few hands builds a dangerous cartel.

An industry meant to empower millions of decentralised citizen generators is being converted into a private corporate fiefdom.

The crucial issue facing the nation is not whether battery storage is necessary for the grid.

The real question is whether Sri Lanka’s clean energy transition will benefit millions of citizens or enrich a small corporate elite.

Without strict procurement transparency and protected incentives for home storage, the country risks trading one broken fossil fuel system for a corporate monopoly.

Sri Lanka is entering an era where the sun shines on everyone, but the profits belong strictly to a powerful few.

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP S.M. Marikkar has alleged that the government lacks an understanding of diplomacy and does not know how to engage effectively with the international community.

He made the remarks to the media yesterday (5), noting that the President's absence from the recent United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) highlighted the failure.

Marikkar said the President should have attended the UNGA to meet world leaders and potential investors and generate revenue for the country, rather than attending meetings in Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

He also raised serious national security concerns over reports of alleged US-sanctioned Iranian vessels anchored in international waters near Sri Lanka, claiming the government remains helpless in the face of the situation.

He said national security must remain the top priority and urged the government to hold direct diplomatic discussions with the United States to safeguard the country's territory, maritime boundaries and citizens.

Marikkar also criticised the President, in his capacity as Defence Minister, for failing to issue a formal statement to Parliament on the matter.

He pointed out that if the government cannot manage the issue independently, it should consult the opposition to formulate a solution.

The opposition lawmaker criticised the ruling party for parading the same group of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) cadres at rallies across the island.

He alleged that the President had deceived youth and women with false promises.

Citing World Bank data, Marikkar said nearly 65 per cent of the population is living in poverty, and that ordinary citizens can no longer afford basic necessities, their children's education or essential medicines.

Noting that the government has completed 25 months in office, he challenged the NPP administration to hold the long-overdue Provincial Council elections if it is confident of its public mandate.

He added that the SJB is prepared to secure a decisive victory.

The World Organisation Against Torture has warned that Sri Lanka's new counterterrorism draft law risks perpetuating severe human rights violations as Parliament prepares to receive the legislation today.

The rights group expressed deep concern that the Protection of the State from Terrorism Act retains problematic provisions from the 47 year old Prevention of Terrorism Act.

The government published the replacement legislation in the official Gazette on 22 September ahead of its scheduled first reading in Parliament on 6 October.

International observers cautioned that the draft law uses overly broad definitions of terrorism that fail to align with international standards.

The legislation criminalises acts aimed at compelling government or international bodies to act, creating significant risks of arbitrary abuse against journalists, human rights defenders, political opponents, and minority communities.

Although the text contains explicit exclusions for peaceful protests, advocacy, and industrial actions, rights advocates warned that these safeguards remain fundamentally insufficient to prevent misuse.

Under Section 29, the draft framework empowers the Executive to issue two month detention orders without prior judicial approval.

Magistrates may extend these orders every two months up to a maximum of one year.Section 28 allows combined remand and detention periods of up to two years before formal indictments are served.

The organisation highlighted that Magistrates frequently rely on police and prosecution submissions without exercising meaningful judicial oversight, thereby heightening the threat of arbitrary detention, torture, and ill-treatment.

The bill also grants extensive operational powers to military personnel, including authority to conduct stops, searches, arrests, and 24 hour detentions before handing suspects over to police.

Travel time is excluded from this 24 hour limit without setting a maximum allowable duration, raising grave concerns about enforced disappearances.

Furthermore, the Attorney General is granted authority to suspend criminal proceedings for up to 20 years in exchange for suspects agreeing to rehabilitation, community service, or public expressions of remorse.

Rights advocates noted that suspects facing prolonged detention may feel coerced into accepting these punitive measures, effectively undermining the presumption of innocence.

The World Organisation Against Torture has urged Sri Lankan lawmakers to undertake a fundamental review of the proposed framework to align counterterrorism measures strictly with international human rights commitments

Former Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Colombo Municipal Councillor Mahinda Kahandagama and another individual have been arrested by the Colombo Crimes Division (CCD).

Police said Kahandagama was arrested near a restaurant in the Mirihana area last night (05) on charges of drug trafficking.

A stock of ‘Ice’ (crystal methamphetamine) was also seized from the suspects.

Preliminary investigations have revealed that Kahanadagama had been involved in drug trafficking for a period of time.

Further investigations into the arrested suspects have been launched by the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB).

Four United Nations Special Rapporteurs have formally raised serious concerns over Sri Lanka's draft Non-Governmental Organisations (Registration and Supervision) Bill 2026, cautioning state authorities that the proposed statutory framework threatens fundamental civic freedoms.

In a joint communication addressed to the government, human rights experts Ben Saul, Leopoldo Maldonado Gutiérrez, Gina Romero, and Andrea Bolaños Vargas warned that the draft legislation published in June 2026 could severely curtail freedom of association and public expression across the island.

The United Nations experts pointed to the government's own risk assessment published in January 2026, which classified the inherent terrorist-financing risk within the domestic non-governmental sector as low to medium, with minimal documented evidence of illegal money laundering.

Emphasising that international counter-terrorism standards mandate targeted, risk-based regulation rather than sweeping administrative controls, the rapporteurs asked the government to clarify how the legislation complies with global standards, whether substantial amendments will be introduced, and if the final text will undergo transparent public consultation.

Under the contested statutory framework, non-governmental organisations and civil society bodies would be forced to register with a designated Competent Authority to secure three-year operational permits. Operating without valid registration would become a punishable criminal offence carrying fines up to Rs 1 million.

The draft law grants state officials wide regulatory powers to inspect premises upon notification, review employee records, and examine external financing channels.

The rapporteurs expressed particular alarm over legal clauses compelling civil society groups to align their operational mandates with official state policies.

They warned that vague deregistration grounds, such as activities deemed detrimental to national security, sovereignty, or territorial integrity, could suppress political advocacy and human rights campaigning through broad state oversight.

Furthermore, restrictions imposed on crowdfunding platforms and access to international grants risk creating a severe chilling effect on democratic dissent and civil society advocacy throughout the country.

The main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has decided to present a motion of no confidence against Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne in Parliament this Friday (09).

The decision was finalised during a high-level meeting of the party’s parliamentary group in Colombo.

Opposition lawmakers will begin placing their signatures on the resolution today.

The motion contains forty-nine specific allegations against the Speaker, citing severe breaches of parliamentary procedure and conduct.

Meanwhile, opposition parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekara has urged Dr. Wickramaratne to step down voluntarily from his post before the house convenes to debate the motion.

The Attorney General has concluded that fresh investigations should be conducted into the killings allegedly linked to the Batalanda torture chamber.

The Attorney General's Department stated that observations containing that conclusion have been forwarded to the Secretary to the President.

The Attorney General's view is that indictments cannot be filed against suspects solely on the basis of evidence contained in the Batalanda Commission Report.

What is the Batalanda Report?

In 1994, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was elected President, ending 17 years of United National Party rule.

A key pledge of her election campaign was to deliver justice for killings and disappearances that occurred during the 1988-1990 period.

After assuming office in 1994, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga appointed a Presidential Commission of Inquiry through an order issued on September 21, 1995.

That commission became known as the Batalanda Commission of Inquiry.

The Commission was tasked with investigating allegations that young people had been unlawfully detained, tortured, killed, or disappeared in houses located within the Batalanda Housing Scheme in Biyagama, which was owned by the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation, and identifying those responsible.

After receiving 12 extensions, the Commission handed over its report to then-President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on March 26, 1998.

A number of significant revelations emerged during the Commission proceedings, including statements relating to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe.

House A2/2 within the housing complex had reportedly been used by Ranil Wickremesinghe from 1983 until April 1989 as a holiday bungalow belonging to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Employment.

From April 1989 to 1994, the same house was reportedly used as the official residence of Ranil Wickremesinghe in his capacity as Minister of Industries.

House A2/1 had reportedly been allocated for the security personnel of Ranil Wickremesinghe, while House A2/3 had been assigned to a ministry operating under his purview.

A man named Vincent Fernando, who served as caretaker of Ranil Wickremesinghe's bungalow, was residing at the premises and died under mysterious circumstances shortly before Ranil Wickremesinghe was due to give evidence before the Commission.

House A1/7 was also reportedly used by security personnel attached to Ranil Wickremesinghe, while House B2 had allegedly been used by him as an office.

A notable development during the Commission proceedings was the identification of that house by a person who claimed to have been tortured there and later escaped.

House B1 had also reportedly been used by security personnel attached to Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Batalanda Commission Report states that then Police Inspector Sudath Chandrasekara, who served as a personal security officer to Ranil Wickremesinghe, had used House B7.

House B8 was located nearby and was reportedly used by security personnel attached to Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris.

A witness named Earl Sugi Perera testified before the Batalanda Commission that he had been detained and tortured at that location.

"Douglas Peiris used to come there, and they would say, 'Ranil has arrived, the boss has arrived.' People from Ranil's escort would come and kick us. Bring all those people from Ranil's escort and I can identify them. Bring the entire escort, more than thirty of them, and I will point them out. I was detained and beaten for 23 days. So, why won't I recognize them."

In recent months, the Batalanda Commission Report has once again become the subject of public discussion amid expectations that it could shed further light on a number of large-scale crimes for which evidence is still believed to exist.

Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake tabled the report in Parliament on March 14, 2025.

However, the Attorney General's advice is that the evidence contained in the Commission report alone is insufficient to bring alleged perpetrators before the law.

Nevertheless, the Attorney General has recommended that fresh investigations be carried out into the murder allegations.

(Newsfirst)

The Ministry of Energy has instructed private distribution companies to maintain uninterrupted fuel supplies across Sri Lanka following widespread pump shortages.

Energy Minister Anura Karunathilaka confirmed that the Ministry Secretary will issue a formal written directive to all private distributors today.

The government intervention follows reports that private suppliers restricted fuel deliveries to cut financial losses stemming from rising global oil prices.

These supply cuts have triggered acute fuel shortages at retail outlets nationwide, leaving motorists facing extended queues at service stations.

Under the new directives, private firms must restore normal supply levels immediately and maintain mandatory minimum fuel reserves at all times.

To ease immediate market pressure, authorities have ordered state-run Ceylon Petroleum Corporation filling stations to step up daily fuel deliveries.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake will convene a high-level meeting tomorrow alongside Energy Ministry and Ceylon Petroleum Corporation officials to formulate a broader strategy.

Stressing the urgency of the situation, Petroleum Dealers' Association Deputy Chairman Kusum Sandanayake urged the administration to deliver a swift remedy to protect local businesses and consumers.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has raised serious concerns with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) over current government energy policies that he claims are crippling Sri Lanka's renewable power industry.

The high-level meeting took place in Colombo with IMF Resident Representative Dr. Martha Tesfaye Woldemichael, where the opposition leader detailed critical disruptions to green energy projects across the island nation.

Highlighting the economic fallout of current policy shifts, Premadasa stated that rooftop solar installations alone could contribute 2,500 MW to the national grid and save the country approximately Rs 25 billion every month.

He urged the IMF to advise state authorities on the immediate deployment of battery energy storage systems alongside rooftop solar networks.

Such measures, he said, would safeguard a decentralised sector that provides affordable electricity to consumers while generating essential commercial opportunities for young skilled entrepreneurs and small business operators.

The Opposition Leader accused an entrenched fuel lobby of actively sabotaging sustainable energy initiatives to prolong national dependency on expensive fossil fuels.

He directed specific criticism toward government initiatives to operate combined cycle power plants under the Yugadanavi, Sobadhanavi, and Sahasdanavi schemes using a mix of liquefied natural gas and diesel without establishing floating storage regasification infrastructure.

Describing these plans as concessions to private fuel cartels at the public expense, he pledged that the parliamentary opposition would launch a sustained democratic movement to advance the national clean energy goal past the current 70 per cent target toward complete grid decarbonisation.

Police have informed former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa to present herself to the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on 13 October following her arrival in the country late last night.

The wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa landed at Bandaranaike International Airport on a flight from Malaysia yesterday (05), ending a brief period abroad for medical care.

Her return coincides with legal steps taken by her defense team, who filed an anticipatory bail motion before the Maligakanda Magistrate's Court on Monday.

The application seeks to prevent her arrest regarding a police probe into alleged financial irregularities at the Siriliya Saviya foundation.

Concerns over potential detention arose after her sudden departure on 16 September, when she flew to Singapore directly from a private hospital in Colombo where she had been receiving treatment.

The Rajapaksa family has firmly dismissed claims that she fled to evade law enforcement, stating she received no formal notification from police before reaching the airport.

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has officially floated a tender for the procurement of 1,000 new, automatic-transmission, four-wheel-drive diesel double-cabs, marking the state's largest vehicle purchasing attempt following last year's aborted procurement drive.

According to the notice published on 29 September, interested bidders have been given until 22 October 2026 to submit their proposals.

Alongside the fleet of double-cabs, the ministry has concurrently issued separate tenders to acquire 175 tractors, 160 tippers, 100 backhoe loaders, and 100 gully emptiers for state operations.

This updated tender reflects a significant easing of technical and eligibility criteria, designed to broaden market participation and prevent a repeat of the controversies that stalled the previous attempt.

In October 2025, an earlier tender seeking 1,775 double-cabs was abruptly abandoned following widespread allegations that its strict criteria were tailored to favour a single local supplier, particularly given a restrictive submission window of just seven working days.

To address these concerns, the ministry has lowered the minimum engine capacity requirement from 2,500 cc to 2,400 cc, reduced required engine power by 7 per cent, and cut minimum torque standards by 12.5 per cent.

Ground clearance requirements have also been lowered from over 300 mm to more than 220 mm, allowing a wider variety of vehicle models to qualify.

In addition to physical vehicle specifications, commercial and operational eligibility parameters have been adjusted to create a more competitive bidding environment.

Suppliers are now required to demonstrate local sales experience of 500 units of the proposed make, down from the previous threshold of 1,000 units, while the mandatory average annual turnover has been reduced from Rs 10 billion to Rs 8 billion.

Bidders must maintain 10 service centres across the island, though only five must be directly owned, with franchised dealerships now permitted to fulfil the remaining quota.

However, financial backing conditions have been strengthened, with required bid security rising fivefold to Rs 250 million, alongside a requirement for bidders to prove access to Rs 5 billion in liquid assets or credit facilities.