Public consultations regarding the proposed electricity tariff revision for this year are set to begin tomorrow (23) and will continue until June 5 at the provincial level.

The first public hearing will be held in the Sabaragamuwa Province, at the auditorium of the Ratnapura District Secretariat, where members of the public will have the opportunity to share their views and concerns about the proposed electricity tariff changes.

According to Jayanath Herath, Director of Communications at the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), further details regarding the public consultation in the Sabaragamuwa Province can be obtained by calling 076 3224610.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) has proposed an 18.3% increase in electricity tariffs, compared to current rates.

However, the CEB notes that the new proposed rate is still 5.4% lower than the tariff implemented in January this year.

The PUCSL will gather public feedback from across the country during this consultation period before making a final decision on the proposed revision.

(News1st)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by News1st has not been edited by SLM staff)

The island-wide token strike scheduled to be launched today (May 22) by the Joint Council for Professions of Supplementary Medicine has been temporarily suspended.

In an official statement, the council said this decision was made following a discussion held with the Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Health.

Accordingly, the association stated that services will proceed as normal today.

This protest was planned as the Health Ministry failed to grant a meeting despite a 02 month wait on discussing their issues.

The Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation says it will be mandatory for long distance buses to obtain an engineering report.

This decision was taken as a preventive measure against accidents involving long-distance service buses, and all buses covering a distance of over 100 km are now required to obtain the report.

Speaking at a media briefing held yesterday (May 21), Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation – Bimal Ratnayake stated that the report will be mandatory from Aug. 01 onwards.

He also stated that the use of ticket issuing machines for passenger buses will also be made mandatory from the same date.

Deputy Inspector General of Police in charge of the Traffic Directorate – Indika Hapugoda, stated at the media briefing that legal action will be taken against unauthorized additional devices installed on passenger buses starting from July 01.