Bengaluru: Two including Energy Minister’s special officer, held for taking bribe
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Lokayukta Police have arrested two persons, including the special officer to the state’s Energy Minister, for allegedly accepting a bribe to grant approval for an electricity connection.
The arrested have been identified as Jyothi Prakash, Executive Engineer with the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited (KPTCL) and special officer to Energy Minister K.J. George, and his car driver Naveen.
According to Lokayukta officials, the duo was caught red-handed while receiving a bribe of Rs 50,000 from a complainant. The operation was carried out by a team led by Lokayukta SP Shivaprakash Devaraju.
Officials said the complainant, identified as K.M. Anantharaju, a resident of Byadarahalli, had applied for an electricity connection for a residential layout construction project. Jyothi Prakash had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 1 lakh to issue the No Objection Certificate (NOC) required for the power connection.
After Anantharaju lodged a complaint with the Lokayukta, a trap was laid and both Jyothi Prakash and Naveen were arrested while accepting Rs 50,000 as part of the bribe amount.
The Lokayukta police have registered a case and further investigation is underway.
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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.
