Minister Bimal Rathnayake acknowledged that substandard coal had been imported to Sri Lanka, revealing that the company responsible has paid fines up to US$ 2 million.
Addressing a public event, he said that the laboratory tests on the imported coal had proven substandard quality, after which fines were imposed on the said company.
He further said that coal tenders involve a complex tender process that must be handled carefully to maintain adequate stocks, adding that only fines could be imposed at this juncture.
“I’m not justifying the mistake, but we don’t have a surplus of anything. We cannot change the company at this point, as the order procedure takes months. If the company says it is bankrupt because of an unreasonable fine, it will adversely affect our coal supply,” he added. (Newswire)