KSEB's power bill arrears touch Rs 3260 crore as recovery is at snail's pace

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) struggles to recover the power bill arrears from consumers. As of March 31, 2023, KSEB's arrears amounts to Rs 3260 crore. 

Off this, Rs 1300 crore has to be collected from households and private institutions and the remaining from state/ union governments and public sector undertakings (PSUs) in Kerala. 

KSEB released the details of arrears ahead of the move to increase the power tariff. 

The Covid-19 pandemic and financial constraints increased the arrears to Rs 2788.90 crore (until March 2022) from Rs 2771 crores recorded until March 2021. 

Of the total of Rs 3,260 crore in arrears, only Rs 408 crore is involved in disputes and litigation. There is no legal hurdles that bar KSEB from collecting these arrears. State Electricity Regulatory Commission had earlier acknowledged that KSEB's failure in recovering the arrears would adversely affect its revenue generation.