KSEB services should be people friendly: Sunny Joseph

Electricity Minister Sunny Joseph said the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) needs to be more people-centric by ensuring time-bound solutions to power problems.

The minister presided over a special review meeting at Kottarakkara Vaidyuthi Bhavan to review KSEB operations in Kollam and Pathanamthitta regions and issued several directives to improve operational efficiency and strengthen monsoon preparedness. As part of these efforts, he ordered that WhatsApp groups created to deal with power outages must be more active and responsive to public complaints. Besides, the minister added that the tree felling committee formed for pre-monsoon maintenance needs to function more effectively and special coordination meetings should be held at constituency, panchayat and ward levels to increase local vigilance.

The meeting addressed a wide range of infrastructural and administrative requirements unique to the various constituencies in the region. There have been strong calls to secure a dedicated KSEB office building at Karunagappally and address the ongoing shortage of field staff. In addition, local representatives demanded the establishment of a new electrical section centered at West Kallada and new substations at Chadayamangalam, East Kallada (110 kV), Mayyynad-Thanni and near Punalur Paper Mill.

Major upgrades

The meeting also highlighted the need for major upgrades, including upgradation of Sasthamkotta substation to 220 kV, expedited completion of ongoing work at Thevalakkara and Nilakkal substations and renovation of the existing Konni substation to better serve the Sabarimala-Konni zone.

Mr. Joseph approved several proposals aimed at the public welfare and redress of local grievances. He agreed to address the staff shortage plaguing various offices in Kollam and Pathanamthitta to ensure smoother operations. Orders were immediately issued to restore electrical connections to various schools where supplies had been disconnected due to the ongoing highway construction. He said the ministry would consider providing electricity connection to residents living in KIP Canal puramboke plots and consumers of solar energy projects would be provided with smart meters to streamline the integration of renewable energy.

Addressing public safety and regulatory hurdles, the Minister ordered that the trenches dug for laying electric cables along the national highway in Eravipuram constituency be covered immediately to prevent accidents. He also promised to look into and resolve the practical difficulties arising from the recent circular of the Directorate of Electricity, which stipulated that street lights can only be installed on streets that have official names and numbers.

CR MLAs Mahesh, Jyothikumar Chamakkala, Vishnu Mohan, MM Naseer, Kollam district panchayat president R. Latha Devi and Pathanamthitta district panchayat president Deenamma Roy were also present.

Published – 16 Jun 2026 18:17 IST