KOCHI: Citing sagging revenue and soaring operational expenses, the Kerala State Electricity Board has approached the Power Regulatory Commission proposing to double the fixed charge and to hike the charge per unit by 15 to 70 paise per unit.
Responding to a query on the proposal, Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty said the KSEB has submitted the proposal based on its revenue and a final decision will be taken by the regulatory commission after holding talks with all stakeholders. “Our power tariff is low compared to other states. The KSEB has submitted the proposal considering financial constraints. The regulatory commission will decide on power tariff hike after consulting all stakeholders,” he told TNIE.
As per the proposal, the fixed charge for consumers using less than 50 units will go up from Rs 35 to Rs 70. The charge will go up from Rs 80 to Rs 160 for people using 301 to 250 units. The power charge for less than 50 units will be Rs 3.50 and for people who use 250 units it will be Rs 8.40. For consumers using more than 590 units the power tariff will be Rs 8.70 and the fixed charge will be Rs 300. There will be no fixed charge for people belonging to BPL category using less than 40 units.
In Tamil Nadu power is free for families using less than 100 units. For 100 to 200 units the tariff is Rs 3.50 per unit and the service charge is Rs 20. For people using 200 to 500 unit the tariff is Rs 3 per unit and service charge will be Rs 30. People using more than 500 units will have to pay Rs 3.50 for power consumed above 100 units, Rs 4.60 for power used above 200 units and Rs 6.60 for power above 500 units.