CEB spokesperson resigns
Spokesperson of the Ceylon Electricity Board, Eng. Noel Priyantha resigned from the post after several statements he made during a TV talk show drew the ire of many parties.
Priyantha, during Derana Big Focus programme on Tuesday said schoolchildren did not need electricity to study and a kerosene lamp was adequate for studying at night. He added that if people stopped consuming alcohol they would be able to pay increased electricity tariffs.
Several groups, including the CEB’s engineers union, expressed outrage at Priyantha’s remarks and he resigned due to the backlash.
“The Management of CEB has also informed me that the spokesperson has tendered his resignation from the post and issued a public apology for his statement. The management will also take appropriate steps regarding the statement made,” Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said on X (twitter) Thursday.
Wijesekera said he agreed with the sentiments of everyone who “had raised the lack of empathy and professionalism in the statement made by the CEB spokesperson.”