The State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) for Kerala has criticized the State Electricity Board (KSEB) for only targeting commercial and industrial consumers in the state to address the problem of power shortages in the state.

The KSEB is being criticized for only targeting high tension (HT) and extra high tension (EHT) consumers in order to address the power crisis. The board is aiming to impose half-an-hour load-shedding for domestic consumers to manage electricity supply.

The commission said that if the power situation in the state is really severe then the KSEB should also impose restrictions on more than one crore domestic power consumers in the state. KSEB had said in a petition for power restrictions submitted to the SERC, that the board should be allowed to levy extra charges on HT/EHT consumers.

KSEB is proposing a plan under which a small section of consumers should pay Rs 11 per unit for power over their prescribed limit for consumption. Even as the number of HT/EHT consumers in the state is just around 3,000, they consume 30% of the total power, according to estimates.

The board is seeking the permission from the SERC to impose power restrictions till June 2012.