Power Minister Aryadan Muhammed has sought to deflect criticism against the State utility for failing to procure merchant power at lowest possible price.
Speaking in the State Assembly on Tuesday, he said among the southern States, Kerala continued to be the most dependent on outside power sources.
Higher prices
Given this, it was natural that the State contract purchases at comparably high rates, the Minister said.
If this were not done, the State would be faced with a situation where the prevailing cyclical load-shedding would have to be extended, he added.
The Minister’s observations come in the context of adverse remarks from the State electricity regulator against Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) made on Monday.
Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Authority had taken the board to task for failure to contract cheapest possible power when the opportunity presented.
Meanwhile, the board has approached the regulator for permission to impose more restrictions on consumers in the State.
At present, half-an-hour cyclical load-shedding is resorted to in the morning and from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the evening. In a public hearing, the board proposed that domestic connections which consume more than 200 units a month be charged at Rs 11 a unit for the next six-month period.
It submitted that the dire situation existing as of now could be reversed only with the onset of the next southwest monsoon season from June next.
But the regulator used the opportunity to severely criticise the board for its failure to implement its interim directions issued last month.
This included snapping connections for use of power for illumination, billboards and signages, which were declared illegal by the regulator.
Opposition walkout
The board submitted that as much as 35 per cent of the consumption is supported by purchases contracted at high rates from outside sources.
Meanwhile, the Opposition walked out of the State Assembly accusing the State Government of misusing the vigilance arm for hunting down its members.
The walkout happened after the Speaker refused leave for an adjournment motion over the issue.
Case involving ex-CM
The trigger was a recent case involving V. S. Achuthanandan, then chief minister and now leader of opposition, in which he was alleged to have ‘gifted’ land to a relative.