Electricity now a luxury for a cluster of villages in Anuradhapura

By Upul Herath- Anuradhapura   

Electricity connection to a cluster of villages in Thantirimale, Anuradhapura has been disconnected leaving consumers in the lurch. 

The area people, mostly dependent on agriculture, complain that they are unable to pay for electricity because of the tariff hikes introduced last year. They say electricity is beyond their means because of poverty they are now engulfed in following the economic crisis.   

People in the villages such as Ihala Goneva, Sandamaleliya and Thambiyawa, are grappling with this issue. They also face issues related to food security and are victims of the human-elephant conflict. 

S. Padmini, 32, a villager of Thambiyawa, said her husband is now a wage earner with a daily income of Rs.2500. She said her husband had to cycle at least 15-20 kilometres a day in search of work.   “It is difficult for us to make ends meet,” she said. 

• They are also facing issues related to food security and the human-elephant conflict