LAKHIMPUR: Protests against the installation of pre-paid smart meters continue in Lakhimpur district. The Lakhimpur district committees of the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and its sister organization Nari Mukti Sangram Samiti staged strong protest against smart meters in front of the North Lakhimpur Electrical Sub-Divisional Office on Thursday. Prior to it several hundred members of the organizations took out a protest rally covering the North Lakhimpur town ignoring the scorching heat of the sun. Then they demonstrated before the APDCL office.
During the course of the demonstration, the members of the organization rocked the environment by shouting slogans against smart meters, Electricity Department and Government of Assam. Later the organizations submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister, through the Lakhimpur District Commissioner.
In the memorandum, the Lakhimpur KMSS said, “The APDCL has installed smart meters instead of the old electricity connection meters in the houses of the people of Lakhimpur district. APDCL has devised a cunning strategy to extort the people by collecting excessive tariff through smart meters. On the other hand, the contractors who are going to install the smart meters are forcing the people to install the same through various tricks, black mailings and threats. It is unfortunate and not acceptable.”
Through the memorandum, Lakhimpur KMSS and NMSS strongly demanded the Government of Assam to take proper legal action against the contractors who are intimidating and blackmailing the general public while installing smart meters, to stop collecting excessive electricity tariffs through smart meters, to take immediate action to refund the additional electricity charges to those who have been charged, to take measures to return the previous BPL and APL meters. The organizations have threatened that they will intensify the stir unless the demand are fulfilled at the earliest.
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