By The Pulseline News Desk
A claim that around 120,000 metric tonnes of imported coal worth approximately Rs. 4.62 billion cannot be accounted for has put the country’s coal supply chain under fresh scrutiny, with questions being raised in Parliament over how such a massive quantity could have disappeared.
Opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa, who attended Parliament after arriving from prison, has raised the issue, claiming that records relating to 19 coal shipments have indicated a shortage of approximately 120,000 metric tonnes.
Rajapaksa has described the quantity as equivalent to roughly two shiploads of coal, questioning how such a volume could go unaccounted for after being imported into the country.
“According to these reports, 120,000 metric tonnes are missing. Who swallowed these two coal ships?” he has asked in Parliament.
The allegation, if substantiated, could have serious implications for the management of one of the country’s most critical inputs for electricity generation.
Coal is a key component of Sri Lanka’s power-generation system, particularly through the Norochcholai coal-fired power plant. Any unexplained loss involving hundreds of thousands of tonnes would therefore go beyond a routine inventory discrepancy, raising questions about procurement, transportation, storage, measurement and accounting procedures.
At an estimated value of Rs. 4.62 billion, the alleged shortage also represents a significant financial issue at a time when the Government is under pressure to contain public expenditure and improve accountability in state institutions.
The central question is not simply where the coal went, but at what point in the supply chain did the alleged discrepancy occur.
Imported coal passes through multiple stages, including shipment, unloading, weighing, transportation and storage before being used for power generation. Establishing the exact quantity delivered against the quantity recorded at subsequent stages would therefore be critical in determining whether the reported shortage represents an actual loss, an accounting discrepancy, measurement differences or another irregularity.
Rajapaksa did not stop at questioning the missing coal. He has also criticised the Government over electricity and fuel prices, taxation, graduate employment promises, rice imports and alleged irregularities concerning containers released from the Colombo Port.
He has further referred to an alleged US$ 2.5 million transfer to an incorrect account, questioning whether senior Government figures were connected to some of the incidents he has raised.
However, the coal allegation stands out because of its potential financial and energy-security implications. If the reported discrepancy is confirmed, authorities would have to determine who was responsible for the missing quantity and whether any criminal or administrative wrongdoing took place.
The issue also puts renewed focus on the importance of transparent accounting in strategic commodities. Sri Lanka’s experience with the economic crisis has demonstrated how weaknesses in procurement, inventory management and public-sector oversight can ultimately translate into substantial costs for taxpayers and consumers.
For now, the 120,000-tonne figure remains an allegation raised in Parliament, rather than an established finding. A proper reconciliation of shipment records, port documentation, weighing records, delivery data and power-plant inventories would be necessary before determining whether the country has actually lost two shiploads of coal — or whether the discrepancy has another explanation.
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