The second Parliamentary Sub-Committee on “Strengthening the legal framework related to the transport sector and steering the transport sector in a positive direction”, established by the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation discussed the need to focus on the transport needs of the community with disabilities.

This sub-committee meeting was held on April 10 at the Parliament premises, chaired by MP Lakmali Hemachandra, Attorney-at-Law.

Member of Parliament Sugath Wasantha de Silva, Chair of the Parliamentary Caucus for Persons with Disabilities and a member of the sub-committee, also participated in the meeting. In addition, a group of representatives, including heads of organizations and institutions representing various segments of the community with disabilities, attended the Committee meeting.

Accordingly, the challenges encountered in fulfilling the transport needs of the community with disabilities and the proposals to address these issues were extensively discussed during the sub-committee meeting.

It was identified that the lack of proper accessibility to transportation modes is a major issue faced by the community with disabilities. Due to the absence of appropriate access facilities for buses and trains, persons with disabilities are often compelled to rely on hired vehicles, which results in them incurring significant expenses, a concern they highlighted to the sub-committee.

The representatives pointed out that although the Gazette Notification issued under the Disabled Persons (Accessibility) Regulations, No. 1 of. 2006 mandates the provision of proper facilities for this community, many institutions and individuals fail to comply with these regulations. They also brought to the attention of the sub-committee the need to ensure the effective implementation of these laws in order to deliver tangible benefits to the community with disabilities.

Representatives from these organizations also indicated to the sub-committee that certain conduct by bus conductors causes serious inconvenience to individuals with disabilities. They emphasized the necessity of not only legislative reforms but also improving attitudes towards persons with disabilities

The need for legislation to allocate seats on buses and trains specifically for personas with disabilities, allowing them to board buses without the need for conductors’ assistance, and ensuring appropriate communication facilities at railway stations for the convenience of the disabled. Additionally, several other issues impacting this community were addressed.

Furthermore, it was pointed out that the issuance of driving licenses to individuals with hearing impairments has been discontinued. The representatives appealed to the sub-committee to intervene and ensure that this facility is reinstated for those individuals.

Accordingly, the Committee Chair stated that the issues and proposals submitted by the community with disabilities should be sent in writing to the sub-committee within two weeks. She further stated that after reviewing these submissions, a final report would be submitted to the Ministerial Consultative Committee on Transport, Highways, Ports and Civil Aviation.

The Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) today issued a clarification informing the public about the results of a comprehensive investigation conducted by an independent Expert Committee regarding the nationwide power outage that occurred on February 09, 2025. 

The complete committee report is available on the website of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) for public viewing, it said.

The Expert Committee has confirmed that the primary reason for this blackout was low system stability, technically known as low “system inertia,” caused by an exceptionally high contribution of solar photovoltaic (PV) power at the time. On that day, solar power supplied more than half of the country’s electricity needs, the CEB said.

According to the investigation, the blackout began with a disturbance at the 33kV Panadura Grid Substation, causing a sudden voltage drop across the entire electricity network. This incident occurred during a low-demand weekend, commonly known as the “Sunny Sunday” effect, when many businesses and industries consume less electricity, it said. 

With a high amount of solar power generation, the grid lacked sufficient inertia—normally provided by traditional power plants—to absorb the shock from the disturbance. This situation quickly led to a serious imbalance between electricity generation and demand, triggering cascading failures and ultimately the complete islandwide blackout, the statement said.

The investigation highlighted that traditional power stations, which typically maintain stability by providing inertia, were operating minimally due to the large solar generation share. To prevent future outages and enhance grid reliability, the Committee recommends urgent implementation of measures outlined in the Long-Term Generation Expansion Plan (LTGEP) and the Long-Term Transmission Plan. 

These measures include deploying Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), synchronous condensers, and adapting conventional generators to operate as synchronous condensers, it said.

Additionally, the Committee strongly advises including real-time inertia indicators on the grid’s control systems (mimic boards) to improve proactive management and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Importantly, the findings of this Expert Committee fully match the details provided by the CEB in its initial media statement released on February 18, 2025. “Thus, we categorically dismiss recent false claims alleging the blackout was due to a defect at Victoria Power Station or that CEB misreported the outage’s cause. Such claims are entirely baseless and contradicted by the committee’s evidence-based findings,” the CEB added.

The CEB said it remains fully committed to delivering reliable electricity services and maintaining transparent communication with the public.

“We sincerely thank all stakeholders for their cooperation and understanding as we take prompt action to strengthen the stability and resilience of Sri Lanka’s electricity network,” it further said.

(adaderana.lk)

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

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) is intensifying island-wide raids to punish vendors selling bottled drinking water above the recently set Maximum Retail Prices.

The MRPs are Rs. 70 for 500ml, Rs. 100 for 1L, Rs. 130 for 1.5L, Rs. 160 for 2L, and Rs. 350 for 5L bottles.

All bottled water regardless of production date must now be sold at or below these rates, with new prices required to be printed on bottles produced after the gazette.

Violators face heavy fines up to Rs. 05 million for companies and Rs. 500,000 or jail sentences for individuals, with harsher penalties for repeated offenses.