Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has submitted an application to the state Electricity Regulatory Commission, seeking an additional surcharge of 16 paise per unit for three months. The board said the surcharge was required to cover the additional Rs 94 cr it spent buying electricity from outside during January to March this year. It cited escalating fuel prices for the price hike.
Furthermore, KSEB’s previous request to impose a surcharge of 30 paise per unit for the period from October to December 2022 is currently under review by the commission. This surcharge will be effective from June 1, subject to commission approval. Hearing redressal is over. Currently, a surcharge of nine paise per unit is levied, with its validity expiring this month. Two surcharges will not be levied at the same time in a normal situation.
The commission will gather evidence pertaining to the new application, which proposes a shift from the current quarterly surcharge to a monthly one, as proposed by the union government. Kerala has accordingly formulated rules to accommodate this change. A hearing to obtain consumer feedback on the draft rules is scheduled for 24 of this month.
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