STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The All Assam Electricity Consumers’ Association (AAECA) staged statewide agitations against issues such as the hike in power tariffs, frequent load shedding, and the installation of digital smart meters. A part of the agitation was staged at Birubari, Guwahati, on Monday. They protested with various slogans, including ‘stop frequent load shedding’, ‘stop hikes in power tariffs,’ etc.
The association’s state coordinator, Ajoy Acharya, said, “We have been agitating regarding this issue for a long time, but our voices are never heard by the government. Prepaid smart meters are completely against the interests of consumers and a tool for privatization of the power distribution system.”
In this regard, the agitators have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister through the District Commissioner.
In the memorandum, it stated that “APDCL (Assam Power Distribution Company Limited) has started the installation of prepaid smart meters without any consultation of the customers. A few days after the installation of the smart post-paid meter, a message is sent to the customer’s mobile phone to convert his meter to prepaid. Despite the fact that the existing digital meters are able to measure electricity 100 per cent accurately, it is still not clear in whose interest these prepaid meters are being installed. There are already numerous complaints across the state that the electricity bills of those who have installed smart meters in their homes or other institutions have increased by 3/4. In addition, we have noticed that prepaid meters are being installed in Assam, violating the Gazette Notification dated August 17, 2021, of the Union Ministry of Power. And under Section 56, it clearly states that a customer must be given 15 days’ notice before the disconnection of electricity. However, in the case of prepaid meter as soon as the recharge gets over, the connections get cut off.”
Further, the memorandum stated, “In view of the current socio-economic situation in Assam, the prepaid system has imposed a huge financial burden on the poor ordinary consumers and disrupted the family’s financial balance as several consumers cannot afford to pay so much in electricity. Therefore, prepaid meters cannot be accepted under any circumstances. Also, the recharge process poses a problem due to poor connectivity, and everybody cannot recharge online. Therefore, we strongly demand the cancellation of the installation process for prepaid smart meters.”
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