Colombo, April 8 : The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has directly sought Indian assistance to ensure nterrupted power supply during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year next week, a newspaper reported on Friday. PUCSL Chairman Janaka Ratnayake has written to Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay requesting 37,000 tonnes of diesel on April 10 or 11 through the recently arranged Indian credit line. Asked whether the PUCSL consulted the Finance and Foreign Ministries before writing to the Indian envoy, Ratnayake said there was no requirement to do so. He asked whether the PUCSL had to consult those Ministries to seek assistance at such a crucial situation. Ratnayake said in a letter dated April 5: “The Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka will be most grateful to the Government and people of India extending the much needed support to maintain nterrupted power supply for the people of Sri Lanka.” The daily said that normally such a request would have been made from Sri Lanka by the Petroleum and or Finance Ministry. The PUCSL recently moved the Supreme Court against the Finance and the Power Ministries, the Monetary Board of Sri Lanka, the Governor of the Central Bank, the Electricity Board and other stakeholders against their failure to ensure nterrupted electricity to the consumers. Sri Lanka is battling its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, leading to widespread fuel shortages and power outages. MR ING