KOCHI : In a rare move, the KSEB on Tuesday disconnected the power supply to more than 50 offices on the premises of the Collectorate due to non-payment of power bills. The outage pushed crucial government offices into darkness, impacting services and operations.
The KSEB removed 13 fuses due to outstanding bills dating back to 2021. Highlighting the severity of the issue, an assistant engineer from KSEB Thrikkakara said that despite notices and warnings, several offices failed to clear their arrears, leading to the disconnection of 13 out of the 48 total power connections in the building. “Following the disconnection on Tuesday, three offices paid the bill and the connection was restored,” he said.
“Notably, the disconnection affected offices having a timely payment history, too, as multiple offices were drawing power from a single connection,” said the official. The assistant engineer clarified that a fixed ratio for each office’s monthly electricity bill is calculated under a single connection. Failure of payment by a few offices triggers disconnection for all offices sharing the connection.
The outstanding amount from the affected offices totals a staggering Rs 57.95 lakh, as confirmed by superintending engineers of KSEB, who had sent reminders to the authorities concerned to settle the dues last week. Various offices, including that of the education department, joint registrar cooperative department, agriculture department, and the survey department, experienced disruptions in their operations due to the sudden power outage.