The Hindu Business Line : New power policy soon: Kerala Minister

Getting tough
Comprehensive law to mete out stringent punishment for power theft.
Provisions of the education Bill to be implemented this year itself.

Thiruvananthapuram , June 21

The Kerala Government will come out with a new power policy soon, the Minister for Electricity, Mr A.K. Balan, said in the State Assembly on Wednesday.

Replying to questions, he said there was no immediate plan to increase the power tariff. A comprehensive law would be framed to mete out stringent punishment in power theft cases.

The Minister said that during the past month, power theft to the tune of Rs 2.16 crore was detected and Rs 1.25 crore was realised from the offenders. The majority of the thefts were noticed among the extra-high tension, high-tension and VIP customers, he added.

The Government has announced a voluntary disclosure scheme. While the details of such customers will not be revealed, they will have to pay the penalty. The Electricity Act, 2003, was not sufficiently armed to give stringent punishment in power theft cases, he said.

The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has power charge arrears to the tune of Rs 1,500 crore. Of this, Rs 800 crore was due from public sector undertakings and the rest from the private sector.

The board suffered an annual loss of Rs 240 crore. Besides, transmission loss and power theft amounted to 24 per cent and seven per cent respectively, Mr Balan informed the House.

The Education Minister, Mr M.A. Baby, said that new self-financing colleges and courses would be sanctioned only in accordance with the new norms laid down by the Government.

Replying to questions, he said that the new fee structure in self-finance colleges would come into force once the Bill was passed in the House. The provisions of the Bill will be implemented this year itself.

The managements of 19 self-financing colleges under the Government and the universities have agreed to follow the prescribed fee structure. On the other hand, private managements have decided to adopt the fee structure proposed by the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) Government.

But the Government is determined to follow the provisions of the Bill slated to be piloted on Thursday, the Minister asserted.

The government policy envisages that admission to 50 per cent seats in self-financing colleges be based on the fees prescribed by the Government. The Government will initiate punitive measures against those violating the provisions of the Bill, Mr Baby said.