Palakkad (Keralam) | Former Keralam Minister K Krishnankutty on Monday blamed the UDF government's alleged mismanagement and poor planning for the new five-year tariff policy, warning that higher power rates and surcharges would burden the common people.

Speaking to reporters here, Krishnankutty said the LDF government had transformed the Kerala State Electricity Board into a profitable enterprise during its 10-year tenure through proper planning.

The new tariff policy, announced by the Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission, will come into effect on April 1, 2027. It is reportedly aimed at recovering around Rs 5,000 crore in losses incurred by the KSEB.

The former Electricity minister said it remained to be seen how the commission had calculated the losses, as frequent power cuts and load shedding had reduced electricity consumption.

"The losses are probably due to mismanagement or a lack of proper planning by the current government," he told reporters.

He said the new policy would adversely affect the common people.

Krishnankutty said the situation could be eased to some extent if the government waived the taxes it collected from the KSEB.

He added that the completion of battery storage facilities should provide some relief.