People in Sri Lanka have a very
short memory and probably don’t remember the amazing claims made by the Govt.
of being able to export electricity over the pond to India, and due to surplus
capacity, private power stations will have to close down and export the used
equipment to whomever may need them.
For details of the latest crisis,
read the link and realize the continual elementary cockups that are still occurring.
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2014/01/19/norochcholai-debacle-continues/
It is not often that I write on
the same subject, unless it is a series of articles on topics like education,
but my most recent blog entry on the above just a couple of days, is NOT enough
to stress the importance of some clear guidelines on how we expect to get over
this crisis, something that has been predicted for a while.
Whilst I do not believe there has
been sabotage, I believe that the wise counsel of Electrical Engineers without
a vested interest in the project has not been sought. They are a particularly
proud profession, who have taken advantage of their position for their benefit,
however they have also been very critical of the whole project at Norochcholai,
as one that was undertaken more for political expediency rather than the best
option available in the circumstances.
Little wonder then, that we got a
white elephant from a Chinese Cowboy Company that never had any compunction in
honoring their part, whilst the approval process by the local engineers was
bought by gifts and rewards catering to their personal and NOT public
requirements. In the latter respect the Engineers MUST shoulder some of the
blame for not highlighting the potential issues in advance to their superiors to
take the matter up at Govt. level.
The cost to the economy is immeasurable
the goons who benefited financially from the shady deal go unpunished. The commissions
are paid up front, irrespective of whether the product is delivered or not in time
and within budget.
I am sure if the commissions are paid
5 years into the project, once operational and shown to be reliable, the effort
will be made to deliver a sound product, instead of a shoddy one. Now wouldn’t that
be in the nation’s interest and not the persons!
1 comment:
commissions for public works either before or after the fact are not acceptable and not in the public interest. obviously the project will go to the highest payer regardless if it is before or after the implementation. that said, since SL needs all of these infrastructure projects there is a silver lining in that they are all getting done after all of these years with some functioning better than others.. overall, the economy will do much better with these infrastructure improvements
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