Merchants demand cut in power tariff

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: State’s merchants have come to the fore complaining of fleecing by KSEB with its method to calculate power bill by calculating bi-monthly usage instead of a monthly one. By using this method the slab rate of consumers increase and they have to shell out almost double the charge, said a statement from Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES).

They demanded that the metre reading should be taken monthly for calculating the power bill. “The bi-monthly bill calculation is a ploy used by KSEB for sometime to fleece the public. It is not an issue that affects the merchant community alone,” said the senior vice-president of KVVES, Kamalalayam Suku. KVVES also demanded government to reconsider its decision to introduce fixed charge for customers.