KSEB cuts power to District Educational Office in Wandoor, to affect operations of 65 schools
KSEB disconnected power to Wandoor educational office over a £30.24 unpaid bill, halting administration for 65 schools. Staff had paid personal arrears; the dispute centres on centralised billing.
KSEB disconnected power to Wandoor educational office over a £30.24 unpaid bill, halting administration for 65 schools. Staff had paid personal arrears; the dispute centres on centralised billing.
KSEB disconnected power to Wandoor educational office over a £30.24 unpaid bill, halting administration for 65 schools. Staff had paid personal arrears; the dispute centres on centralised billing.
In a move that has brought administrative work to a grinding halt, the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has disconnected the power supply to Malappuram's District Educational Office in Wandoor. The action was taken over an unpaid electricity bill of just ₹3,024, leaving the hub that coordinates operations for 65 schools in complete darkness.
The sudden power cut has disrupted critical administrative functions across four sub-districts—Wandoor, Nilambur, Melattur, and Areekode. Officials warn that key processes, including the approval of aided school teacher appointments and various online government services, will face severe delays as computers and servers remain offline.
A dispute over smart meter billing
According to education department officials, the office had a smart meter installed in April last year. Under current state policies, government departments equipped with smart meters are transitioned to a centralised payment system where bills are settled directly by the state government. Despite this transition, individual bills continued to arrive at the Wandoor office every month.
To avoid disruptions, staff members had previously been pooling money from their own pockets to clear the dues. However, when the latest bill arrived, the staff notified KSEB that they would no longer make personal payments and requested that the office be integrated into the centralised government payment pool, similar to other state offices. Instead of resolving the administrative oversight, KSEB technicians arrived at the office on Wednesday afternoon and disconnected the main fuse.
Widespread impact on local schools
The Wandoor educational district office is the administrative backbone for 31 government schools, 20 aided schools, and 14 unaided schools in the region. The forced outage comes at a crucial time when academic file verifications and approvals are peaking, causing immense worry for teachers and school administrators who rely on the office's daily clearances. Officials have urged immediate higher-level intervention to restore power and resolve the policy dispute between the two government departments.