Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament D.V. Chanaka has challenged Energy Minister Kumara Jayakody to a public debate on any media platform regarding alleged corruption in the coal tender process.
The MP stated that he is ready to prove that the coal tender transaction is “entirely corrupt” and urged the Energy Minister to respond openly to the allegations. Chanaka accused the current government of engaging in corruption and fraud from the early days of its administration, highlighting what he described in Parliament as a large-scale coal scam.
According to Chanaka, the government postponed the coal tender process to September, despite it traditionally being held in April. He also alleged that tests conducted at the Lakvijaya Coal Power Plant showed that the calorific value of the first two coal shipments ranged between 5,600 and 5,800 kilocalories per kilogram (kcal/kg), below the minimum required value of 5,900 kcal/kg specified in the coal tender guidelines.
