New tender process for coal purchases - Minister

Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekara said yesterday that the government has begun a new procurement process for coal purchases and tenders have been opened this time allowing any company with specified qualifications allowed to apply for the tender process.

The Minister said that there are only five companies registered to buy coal and this decision was taken before another problematic situation arises.

He said that he discussed this matter with the Chairman of the Finance Committee Dr.Harsha de Silva.

The Minister said this when the special audit report evaluating the process of the procurement of coal purchase during the period 2022-2025 for the Norochcholai Coal-Power Plant.

This report was presented to Parliament yesterday by MP Chairman of the Committee on Government Finance Dr.Harsha de Silva.

Finance Committee Chairman Dr.De Silva further said that although this tender was given for the procurement of coal for three years, these companies have not been registered yet and accordingly coal purchasing have not been carried out in a proper procurement process.

He tabled the recommendations given by the Auditor General in this regard in Parliament yesterday.

Accordingly, this tender has now been cancelled. Commenting further, the Chairman of the Finance Committee further said that it has been recommended that these officers should not be allowed to participate in any procurement process for at least one year. Energy Minister Kanchana Wijesekera said that if we do not listen to officials who participated in the procurement process, it will be an injustice to those officials.

The Energy Minister thanked the Finance Committee for releasing the report promptly

by Daily News Sri Lanka

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