With the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) filing tariff revision proposals before the State Electricity Regulatory Commission earlier this month, power bill dues run up by electricity consumers were back under the spotlight on Wednesday.
Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty informed the State Assembly that the arrears stand at ₹2,771.1 crore as on December 31, 2021.
Replying to questions in the House, he said that exempting the domestic category from the impending tariff revision is not practical, but the government will try its best to lessen the impact on households by retaining the government subsidy. Exempting the domestic category would adversely affect the capital investment plans and services of the KSEB, he said.
Opposition UDF members urged the Power Department to avoid a tariff revision by fast-tracking the collection of power bill arrears run up by high-end consumers.
Mr. Krishnankutty said steps were taken to collect the dues, but he added that there was no connection between the dues and the proposed tariff revision. The KSEB follows an accrual accounting system where the billed amount is treated as revenue. Therefore the arrears are not reflected in the revenue gap of the KSEB, according to him.
The Kerala Water Authority and other State government institutions have run up arrears to the tune of ₹1,194.65 crore on power bills. Central Government institutions owe ₹76.41 crore, domestic consumers, ₹394.48 crore, private establishments ₹1,023.76 crore and others, ₹81.8 crore.
Of the total arrears, ₹ 286.76 crore is entangled in litigation.
As part of the reply, the Minister also presented a list of 113 consumers with arrears of of ₹1 crore and above in the Assembly.
The KSEB had filed tariff proposals for the next five fiscals before the Commission on February 10. A decision on them will be finalised only after the Commission holds public hearings.
