Colombo, Oct. 18 (Daily Mirror) - Former Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka has called for an independent investigation into the islandwide power blackout, alleging that the Government could otherwise attempt to conceal the actual reasons behind the incident.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror online, Ranawaka, an engineer by profession, said the blackout was difficult to understand given the installation of a sophisticated, digitised system control facility in the Pelawatte area.
He recalled previous incidents in which authorities had attributed power disruptions to damage to a transmission line caused by a langur monkey and, on another occasion, to an overload of electricity generated by rooftop solar systems.
Ranawaka alleged that the latest incident could also be used to discourage rooftop solar power generation and claimed that this would benefit two businessmen whom he accused of dominating the renewable energy sector.
“The Government authorities have done it this time too. They are discouraging rooftop solar panels in this manner to facilitate the duopoly held by two of their crony businessmen in the renewable energy sector,” he alleged.
He stressed the need for an independent inquiry to establish the precise causes of the blackout and ensure that the findings are made public.