THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) has issued orders stopping the levying of service connection charges from consumers when providing fresh connections or regularising additional load. The order dated October 28 says it is applicable to all categories of consumers of the state-run power utility. Following a state Electricity Regulatory Commission directive, the KSEB has also issued orders for refunding service connection charges levied from all consumers who obtained connections by paying the same from September 8, 2010.The charges will be refunded by making deductions in the monthly/bi-monthly bills of the consumers, the KSEB has said in its orders dated October 28. The refund has to be completed by December 31, 2011. The SERC had ordered the KSEB to stop collecting the service connection charges from HT and EHT consumers in September last year. The Kerala HT/EHT Industrial Consumers Association had complained to the Commission saying that the collection of service connection charges was discriminatory. At the time, the KSEB was also ordered to refund the amount collected from the HT/EHT consumers after September 8, 2010. In the case of LT consumers, the estimate rates for power distribution works were initially approved by the Commission in 2005. In its current order, the KSEB has asked its deputy chief engineers of electrical circles to submit details such as number of cases identified where refund had to be made, amount collected as service connection charges as well as additional service connection charges.
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