THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has officially announced that the surcharge applied to electricity charges in Kerala will persist.
KSEB implemented the surcharge as an alternative to directly raising electricity tariff rates. In April, KSEB introduced a surcharge of 9 Paise, which was subsequently increased to 19 Paise from June onwards.
The surcharge was initially introduced to mitigate the revenue loss experienced by KSEB. The board had sought approval from the Regulatory Commission to impose a surcharge of 44 paise per unit. However, permission was granted to levy only 9 paise from April to October.
According to regulations, KSEB can impose a maximum surcharge of 19 paise per unit without the approval of the Regulatory Commission. In line with this rule, a ten paise increase was implemented in June, and currently, the surcharge stands at 19 paise.
The heightened surcharge has placed a burden on the general public, leading to concerns about rising electricity costs.
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