Sri Lanka, March 2 -- Coal is a curious thing, a dull black lump of carbon pulled from the earth. It is dirty, so dirty that even the cleanest hands turn black at a touch. Yet coal has a stubborn nature. It is inefficient.

Rs. 7.67 billion Lost on Substandard Fuel: Opposition demands minister's removal as quality failures expose systematic procurement manipulation.

The JVP-NPP government faces mounting pressure over a massive coal procurement scandal that has cost the state Rs. 7.67 billion, with all eight shipments of imported coal confirmed as substandard, and a ninth shipment also reportedly failing quality standards. Laboratory tests reveal the controversial coal supplied by Trident Chemphar contains 21% ash content -- significantl...