Chairman of the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), Janaka Ratnayake, has responded to the recent claims made by Energy and Power Minister Kanchana Wijesekera pertaining to the removal of Ratnayake from his post. 

Speaking at a special media briefing held this evening (22 Jan.), Ratnayake slammed the minister, stating that Wijesekara himself must be removed from his ministerial portfolio, and that someone with a sound understanding of the country’s energy and power resources must be appointed instead. 

He further noted that removing him as the Chairman of PUCSL would not be an easy task, as such removals call for tedious procedures. 

“I saw yesterday that the Minister of Power and Energy Kanchana Wijesekera said I should be removed from the Commission. This is not such an easy task”, he said, adding that “If there is a mistake, a letter should have been sent to both me and the Parliament in this regard, questioning why such a thing has occurred. Subsequently, I should have been given a reasonable period of time to explain this”. 

The PUCSL Chairman went on to explain the Parliamentary process by way of which he would be removed, adding that the procedure was a very ‘systematic’ one. 

Thus, Ratnayake called on President Ranil Wickremeisnghe to appoint someone who understands the subject of the Ministry, adding that such an appointment would allow for easier negotiations to resolve the ongoing issues.