A handing over of solar rooftop systems took place at four religious locations: Hokandara Temple, Sri Aanjaneyar Temple, St. Anthony’s Church and Mutwal Jumma Mosque in the Western Province on Oct. 25.
The event was attended by officials from the Indian High Commission in Sri Lanka, the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB), and the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority (SLSEA).
This event, which is a part of India’s assistance of USD 17 million aimed at installing Solar PV Rooftop Systems in 5000 religious sites across Sri Lanka, is designed to reduce energy costs for these institutions while bolstering Sri Lanka’s transition to clean energy.
A media release by the Indian High Commission further notes :
The 5,000 solar rooftop systems will be installed across all nine provinces and 25 districts of Sri Lanka, covering major religious sites representing Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, and Islam. This project highlights India’s steadfast commitment to bilateral cooperation in renewable energy, emphasizing the human-centric and secular values underpinning India’s development partnership with Sri Lanka.
With Indian expertise, the project will add 25 MW of solar capacity, generating approximately 37 million units annually, supporting the Government of Sri Lanka’s ‘people-centric energy transition’ policy. The project is expected to be completed by early next year.Beyond the supply and installation of the systems, the project also includes a 5-year maintenance period to ensure long-term efficiency and sustainability.
It may be recalled that during the recent visit of India’s External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar to Sri Lanka, India reiterated its strong commitment to advancing bilateral projects of Sri Lankan priority under its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy. This initiative is a significant part of these efforts, promoting close cooperation between the two countries.
The project opens a new chapter in the energy partnership between India and Sri Lanka, reinforcing the shared goal of promoting reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy. Other ongoing collaborations in this sector include solar electrification of around 9000 Buddhist Temples and Pirivenas across Sri Lanka under grant assistance of USD 10 million, the hybrid renewable energy project in the three islands off Jaffna, LNG supply and infrastructure development, and the solar power plant at Sampur.
Assets of two prominent police officers are to be probed after authorities received a number of complaints, highly placed sources in the government say.
One officer in question is a DIG while the other is a SSP, reports add.
The Police Illegal Assets And Property Investigation Division are conducting further investigations.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has opened a probe following a complaint by Attorney General Parinda Ranasinghe that his staff have been unduly targeted by false allegations on social media.
The AG’s instruction to the CID came after several of his staff complained to him over the allegation on social media.
Particularly targeted are senior AG’s Department officials awaiting promotions, sources said.
In one of the posts, a senior officer was accused of being supportive of granting bail to Thamil Makkal Viduthal Puligal (TMVP) leader Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, alias Pillaiyan, when his fundamental rights application over his arrest was taken up. During the hearing of the FR case, the matter of bail was not even considered, the sources said.
Another allegation was that in a case related to the suspended Police Chief Deshabandu Tennakoon, the AG prevented a senior officer from representing the department and instead sent a junior officer. However, on the particular day, the senior officer was indisposed, the sources said.
These allegations surface as the AG’s Department has filed more than 600 new indictments in High Courts so far this year, while the Bribery Commission has also referred several bribery and corruption cases to the AG for prosecution.
(sundaytimes.lk) (This story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)