Undeclared power cuts trigger protests across Kerala

PRotests erupted crossways Kerala against undeclared force cuts, with frustrated consumers picketing local offices of the KSEB in the little hours.In Thrissur territorial dominion, a big crowd marched to the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) Kundannur division office at Erumapetty on Tuesday midnight after prolonged outages.The protest continued till early Wednesday with several participants lying down inside and outside the office premises to demand a resolution.Though the officials informed the protesters that the disruption in the power supply was due to a fault in a major feeder line, they continued the protest.Similar protests were reported from Kozhikode, where Youth League workers staged a demonstration at the Panniyankara KSEB office in the small hours over power outages.At the Nadapuram substation, activists held a candlelight protest.The KSEB office in Pandikkad in Malappuram also saw a similar protest by Youth Congress activists last night.In many places, the KSEB employees reportedly sought police protection because of possible protests over power disruption.The protests galore at a time when the KSEB has announced that it may impose short-duration power curtailments of up to 30 minutes between 6 pm and midnight to maintain grid stability amid surging demand due to extreme heat.The decision was taken at a high-level meeting chaired by Additional Chief Secretary (Power) Puneet Kumar, attended by KSEB Chairman and Managing Director Minhaj Alam and other senior officials here on Tuesday.According to a KSEB statement, a sharp rise in electricity demand has put significant stress on the transmission and distribution network, raising the risk of serious disruptions if not managed in time.The State Load Despatch Centre's chief engineer has been authorised to enforce short-duration restrictions during peak evening hours, if necessary, to ensure grid stability. The situation will be reviewed daily.Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty has said the ongoing power crunch was triggered by extreme heat and increased use of induction cookers and air conditioners.The Kerala State Electricity Regulatory Commission has allowed KSEB to procure 250 MW of additional power daily till May 15 to meet the growing demand.Amid the situation, the Opposition UDF has criticised the ruling LDF over its earlier claim of a decade without power cuts, citing the recent outages reported from various parts of the state.