Kerala opposition leader alleges corruption in power crisis as minister denies load shedding

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan has accused the Kerala government of sparking the state’s power crisis and unannounced load shedding by cancelling long-term electricity deals for corrupt reasons.

Speaking on Saturday amid soaring heat, Satheesan demanded an immediate end to restrictions, threatening United Democratic Front protests if outages persist. He challenged the Left Democratic Front’s claim of a decade without cuts under Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, highlighting a 465 MW deal secured under Oommen Chandy at Rs 4.29 per unit that was scrapped.

This decision, he alleged, forced the Kerala State Electricity Board to buy power at Rs 6–12 per unit, incurring daily losses of Rs 15–20 crore while benefiting private firms. Satheesan called for a probe into the cancellation and any illicit gains.

Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty rejected claims of unannounced load shedding, insisting only routine grid regulations occur during overloads. With consumption exceeding 6,195 MW, costlier purchases are unavoidable, he said, as the government avoids tariff hikes and appeals for consumer restraint.

Dismissing LDF critics, Krishnankutty blamed a national demand surge from extreme heat—joking that the opposition should “ask nature”—and predicted resolution within two days.

Frequent night-time outages are mounting statewide amid peak summer demand, prompting a chief ministerial high-level review.

(Inputs from IANS)