Kochi: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is reportedly planning to recover the costs incurred due to the waivers offered to consumers during the COVID-19 lockdown.
The KSEB has requested the Electricity Regulatory Commission to include the additional liability incurred due to the waivers in the board’s cost estimates. When the power tariff is determined based on the costs, then the board will be able to recover the losses from the consumers themselves. Hence, all consumers would have to bear the burden of the waivers that were in fact offered only to a small section of them.
The commission's next online sitting will be held at 11am on August 19.
The KSEB had announced a discount of 5 per cent or a maximum of Rs 100 for those consumers making their first bill payment through the online mode. This benefit can be availed till the end of this year. The board will request the Commission to permit bringing the loss incurred thus under its costs so that it can be recovered.
The consumers also have been allowed to pay the bills in four instalments till December. Commercial consumers such as shop owners, businessmen, and hospitals were given 25 per cent concession in the fixed charge of March, April and May; and time till December 15 to pay the outstanding amount. The board's second request to the Commission is that the additional liability incurred due to this be included in the costs.
Centre's concession?
The central government has given 20-25 per cent discount in the electricity purchased from the generating stations, and 25 per cent concession on the transmission charges to Kerala via the power grid. This discount was offered with a condition that this would be passed on to the consumers.
Still, the board estimates that Rs 76.62 crore was spent on giving discount in fixed charges.
Though Rs 90.84 crore was expected in waivers from the Union Ministry of Power, the KSEB said it has effectively received only Rs 50.86 crore. The board considers the remaining amount of Rs 25.76 crore as additional expenses.
