Homestays need to pay only domestic category tariff, despite a KSEB request to include them under the higher tariff bracket in the LT commercial category, the State Electricity Regulatory Commission has decided.
And rabbit farms, for the first time, have hopped on to the new tariff list of the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). On including homestays in the domestic category, the Regulatory Commission said that a homestay is essentially a domestic activity and including it in the cheaper domestic tariff list would help boost tourism.
The Commission ‘re-categorised’ several consumer divisions while announcing the new power tariff for the state on Friday. “The concept of homestays is primarily to provide tourists an opportunity to experience the lifestyle in the state by living along with local families. The activity is essentially ‘domestic’ in nature and helps to promote tourism in the state and self employment. Hence, the activity cannot be treated otherwise,” the Commission headed by K J Mathew, a former Chief Secretary, said. The KSEB had asked the Commission to allow it to bill the homestays under LT-VII (A) commercial tariff. This tariff is applicable to hotels, showrooms, self-financing educational institutions, petrol pumps, insurance companies, telecom companies and also, houseboats, among others.