Thiruvananthapuram: The common man will have to keep a tight leash on discretionary spending as they may be forced to cough up more on power bills after the recent hike in water tariff.
The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has sought the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission’s permission to impose a surcharge of 30 paise per unit to enable it to recover the additional expense incurred in purchasing electricity from outside during the period from July 1 to September 30, 2022.
The board has been levying a surcharge of nine paise per unit from February 1 to May 31 to recover Rs 87.07 crore that it spent on power purchases from outside during between April 1 and June 30, 2022.
The main reason for the hike in cost is the use of imported coal for electricity generation. The board’s figures show it has spent an additional Rs 187 crore for the purchase of electricity during the July-September period.
The commission will conduct a hearing on this and take a final decision.
The board, though, has not sought the additional amount it spent for the purchases power from October 1 to December 31 and the surcharge regarding this. The possibility is that this may be higher than the 30 paise surcharge that it now sought permission for.
With the cost of imported coal rising, consumers need to dole out more towards surcharge in the coming months.
