PALAKKAD: Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty said that additional electricity will have to be bought due to the lack of water in the dams. It is a situation where additional electricity worth Rs.10 crore should be bought per day. The rate hike will depend on how much electricity is purchased. It will be decided by the regulatory board.

HT customers had obtained a temporary stay from the High Court against the rate hike. If the stay is lifted, the regulatory commission will issue an order raising the rates within two weeks. KSEB, which had sold excess electricity in previous years at the same time, is now planning to buy the electricity on payment.

Electricity rates were also increased in February. The increase was for four months. An increase of 9 paise per unit was made that day. The rate hike was to cover the additional liability of buying electricity from outside last year. The target was to collect Rs 87.7 crore. Last year also in June, the per unit cost was increased by 25 paise.