DUE TO THE POWER TARIFF HIKE RS.150 MN MORE FOR 3 PC ELECTIONS

The recent increase in electricity tariffs, the Elections Department will have to spend Rs.150 million more for the three upcoming PC elections

This year’s provincial council elections will cost an extra Rs.150 million because of the electricity tariff hike, Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya said yesterday.

He told a news conference that the elections to the Northern, NorthWestern and Central Provincial Councils would cost Rs.1.5 billion though it was earlier estimated to cost Rs.1.3 billion.

Mr. Deshapriya said an extra Rs.150 million would now have to be incurred because of the power tariff hike.

He said Rs.800 million was allocated for elections in last year’s budget but the department would have to spend Rs.1.5 billion for the elections in the three provinces.

Referring to the request made by opposition political parties that foreign monitors, be brought down for the elections, he said a decision would be made on July 16 when he met the divisional secretaries.

“I am not legally bound to bring down monitors but I cannot neglect this request made by the opposition,” Mr. Deshapriya said and added that strict action would be taken against anyone who broke election laws irrespective of the political part he or she belonged. He said campaigning would be restricted on days in which the grade five scholarship exam and the GCE A/L exam would be held.

Mr. Deshapriya said campaign activities including the holding of rallies and house to house visits near the examination centres would be banned.

He said 714,488 voters are registered to cast their vote in the Northern PC elections, 1,889,557 in the Central PC election and 1,754,218 in North

Am not legally bound to bring down monitors but I cannot neglect this request made by the opposition

Western PC election. Mr. Deshapriya said the number of voters in the North would be lower becuse more than 4,000 voters who were given the opportunity to vote as a concession in the last election have been removed from the electoral lists. Some 56 members would be elected from the Central, 36 from the Northern and 50 from the North Western provincial councils.