Karnataka power bills may rise by 50 paise, BJP slams Cong

Bengaluru, Oct 21 (UNI) Electricity consumers in Karnataka could face an additional burden of up to 50 paise per unit in the October-November billing cycle, with the proposed hike triggering a political confrontation over power procurement costs and the Congress government's handling of the state's electricity requirements. The proposed increase is expected to be recovered through the Fuel and Power Purchase Cost Adjustment (FPPCA) mechanism following a rise in the cost of procuring electricity from the open market to meet surging demand in September. The state's power demand reportedly crossed 20,000 MW during the month, even as a decline in…