Heavy rain lashes high ranges of Kerala; orange alert in four districts
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Intermittent heavy rain accompanied by strong winds lashed several parts of Kerala causing inundation, uprooting of trees and traffic snarls there on Monday.
The high ranges of southern Thiruvananthapuram and northern Kozhikode and Kannur districts experienced widespread rains and overcast climate throughout the day.
Heavy downpour that lasted for nearly an hour caused waterlogging in Thiruvananthapuram-Thenkasi road. Road traffic was interrupted in Elavattom in Palode road also for some time due to inundation in the evening.
In Kannur, flood water entered in the premises of some houses and commercial establishments. A wall reportedly collapsed upon a house in the district following heavy rains.
Houses were damaged in lightening in Mala in Thrissur district and Elanji in Ernakulam. Walls developed cracks and electric equipment damaged in such incidents, local people said. A family had a narrow escape after an uprooted tree fell upon their house in Pallippurm in Thrissur.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert in four districts -Ernakulam, Idukki, Malappuram and Kozhikode - predicting very heavy rainfall. The rest of the districts were placed under a yellow alert.
In the wake of heavy rain, the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) asked people living in areas prone to landslides, mudslides, and flash floods to move to safer locations as directed by officials concerned.
Residents living along riverbanks and in areas downstream of dams should also relocate in advance, following official instructions, in view of possible danger, the SDMA said in a statement.
An orange alert refers to very heavy rain of 11 cm to 20 cm, and a yellow alert means heavy rainfall between 6 cm and 11 cm.
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Power tariffs under BESCOM to rise from May 1
Bengaluru (PTI): Power bills for consumers under the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited (BESCOM) will go up from May 1, following an order issued by the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC) on Friday.
The hike comes after KERC allowed the BESCOM to recover a revenue deficit of Rs 2,068 crore incurred in 2024-25, from the consumers.
As a result, for every unit of electricity consumed in 2024-25, the customers will be charged an additional 56 paise, it said.
"BESCOM shall calculate, for each of the active consumers of FY2024-25 the amount to be recovered based on their actual energy consumption during FY2024-25. Such amount shall be recovered during FY 2026-27 in equal monthly instalments, to be called as 'FY25 True up Charges', commencing from the first meter reading date falling on or after 1 May 2026 and concluding with the reading date ending on 30 April 2027," the order said.
"It is further ordered that BESCOM shall maintain a separate head of account, allocated for the purpose, to record the adjustment of the said amount to ensure full recovery of the deficit," it added.
Similarly Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) has also recorded a revenue deficit of Rs 121.71 crore and can collect an additional 15 paisa per unit for consumption in 2024-25, official sources said.
