Technology, Research and Atomic Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka says Lanka Coal has not followed tender procedure since 2012
Posted on October 24th, 2014
By Maheesha Mudugamuwa Courtesy Island
October 24, 2014, 8:33 pm
Technology, Research and Atomic Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday maintained that since 2012 the Lanka Coal Company (LCC) which was the sole importer of coal to Sri Lanka had been doing so without adhering to proper tender procedure.
Minister Ranawaka was responding to the Power and Energy Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi at a press conference held at his Ministry premises yesterday.
It was reported that the Minister Wanniarachchi as having said that the CID had commenced investigations into a recently imported consignment of coal for the Norochcholai Power Plant.
According to Wanniarachchi two ships which brought coal in September 2012 could not unload full consignments owing to inclement weather. “Therefore an agreement was reached with the supplier to sell the 85,891 MT coal consignment and supply Sri Lanka a similar quantity of coal conforming to the same standards at the same price subsequently; besides an urgent tender for five shipments of coal was awarded to recover the loss incurred.
Minister Ranawaka said that the Lanka Coal Company which was set up in 2009 was the only legally approved company to import coal to Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Shipping Corporation (SLSC) was only supplying the transportation.
He also noted that the LCC was imported coal from Nobel Company.
But in the said incident the SLSC had imported the coal without the knowing of Ceylon Electricity Board or Power and Energy Ministry and the coal was imported from Taurian Iron and Steel Company (Pvt) Ltd (TISCL) during rough seas when there was no proper environment to unload the coal and the imported coal was also not up to the required standard.
However the Minister noted that he had immediately called a meeting with the relevant official and urged them to reject the consignment of coal. But finally they unloaded coal on the instructions of the Attorney General.
He alleged that former Chairman of LCC, T.M. Herath was removed from his position as he was unable to obey his instructions.
“But after I left the office in 2012 he was reappointed as the Vice Chairman of CEB,” he said.
Ranawaka said the instant highlighted was just one incident but there were lots of other huge corrupt deals occurring in the country at present, therefore the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) urged the government to set up a special constitutional authority to look into those corrupt deals.
Minister Ranawaka called on the government to conduct of a thorough investigation into the incident and to take legal action against the culprits impartially.
There was a huge entrenched mafia in the power industry and there was a powerful group of white collar criminals behind that mafia, he charged.
October 24th, 2014 at 5:38 pm
Time to introduce a method to phase in solar panels into the society.
-start with government owned building in the cities and towns across the nation, including emergency facilities such as hospitals, army, and other places such as universities.
-work with big business to set up grants or loans that they can also match to transform hotels and other business chains to use more solar and thermal panels.
-finally set up a low interest or no interest loan system to help private residences to do the same.
Any solar of wind fields can be set up off shore thereby not using massive amounts of land.
October 24th, 2014 at 10:11 pm
“He alleged that former Chairman of LCC, T.M. Herath was removed from his position as he was unable to obey his instructions.”
“But after I left the office in 2012 he was reappointed as the Vice Chairman of CEB,” he said.”
– So, T.M. Herath was a thief passing money to Chamipka’s boss. Boss therefore removed Champika. Can this boss be entrusted with country’s future ?
EVEN any honest FOOL WILL SAY NO.
October 25th, 2014 at 4:14 am
Strangely very few people even interested in daylight robberies going on in the country.
Please watch the media briefing. See for yourself how these big thieves earn billions in the name of “war” , “reconciliation” , “LTTE” , “western conspiracy” and now “budget” + elections.
“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gdk79d_Sz7I”
These thieves will suffer in hell.
October 26th, 2014 at 9:03 am
Nanda your logic is wrong. You just make allegations, ‘so, T.M. Herath was a thief passing money to Chamipka’s boss. Boss therefore removed Champika’. Champika doesn’t say that at all. You are a highly opinionated woman/man. Like Champika you probably think SL only belongs to sinhala buddhists’. What about others, non buddhist sinhalas, non sinhalas, sinhala buddhists whose parents are of two religions etc. What if you were of a different religion in a previous life. You are preoccupied with making anti Rajapakse comments on this forum, from dawn to dusk. Why don’t you write your own articles, you will have a readership including Mr Lorence.
October 26th, 2014 at 1:55 pm
Callistus,
“Like Champika you probably think SL only belongs to sinhala Buddhists” – 100%. But there is no other nation in the world who compassionately accommodate others, thus you other allegations in that sentence is not valid.
“You are preoccupied with making anti Rajapakse comments on this forum, from dawn to dusk.” – also true. But whole heartedly I’d love not to do it. Please give some good examples not to do it.
Stanley gave me the only reason ” there is no one else “.
Don’t give me “economic development”, ” roads” , “wonder of asia” and “Chintanaya”(which does not belong to him).
October 26th, 2014 at 4:39 pm
Nanda wealthier you are a Mangala Samaraweera’s stooge planted here. You are here in this forum to argue with patriotic authors and other contributors. I can prove that you are a stooge of Pachabalakaya. You are paid to condemn the writers like Charles, that is why you are surfing the internet 24 hours a day. I will be surprised if you rant under here within the next half hour. Mangala is monitoring you.
October 26th, 2014 at 4:39 pm
Nandawathie I meant.
October 29th, 2014 at 10:30 am
It looks Champike Ranawaka was scared to the Casino Owner thinking that Casino Owner would spend money to defeat him in the next election ?
If so, there is another problem. But champika Ranawaka is chicken.