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Union suggests card system for electricity consumers Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Power Board Officers’ Federation has urged the government to introduce pre-paid cards for electricity consumers in the State as a solution to the problem of mounting dues. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, federation general secretary R. Chandrachoodan Nair and other office-bearers said many countries had adopted the pre-paid card system to avoid problems in recovering dues accumulated by consumers. The system is being implemented in West Bengal to streamline its distribution network. “The Kerala State Electricity Board has accumulated arrears to the tune of Rs.1,850 crore, including Rs.1,200 crore from high-tension consumers. Efforts to recover the amount are bogged down in protracted litigation,” they said. Mr. Nair said the pre-paid cards for specific denominations could be bought and inserted into the meter by consumers according to their demand. “Once the consumption reaches the amount, the meter switches off automatically.” ‘Avail grant’ The federation accused the board of failure to secure the dam security grant for hydel projects. Kerala was the only State yet to claim the grant from the Centre, while other states were availing themselves of assistance from Rs.30 crore to Rs.40 crore every year. They attributed the failure to the lack of proper communication with the Central Electricity Authority and the absence of follow-up. The federation called on the government to intensify measures to avail itself of the grant intended for repair of dams and other maintenance work. The 17th State conference of the federation will be held here on November 24 and 25. Leader of the Opposition Oommen Chandy is scheduled to inaugurate the event. Back |
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