Assam: Electricity Employees Federation of India Opposes Installation of Pre-Paid Smart Meters

Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: The eastern regional meeting of the Electricity Employees Federation of India (EEFI) was held on Sunday in Guwahati. The meeting was organized by the Assam State Electricity Supply Workers’ Union (ASESWU). The meeting was organized to discuss the government’s plan for the installation of pre-paid smart meters.

In the meeting, 100 delegates from West Bengal, Tripura, Meghalaya, Odisha, and Assam as host including CPSUs (Central Public Sector Undertakings) like DVC (Damodar Valley Corporation), PGCIL (Power Grid Corporation of India Limited), and NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation Limited) affiliated to EEFI, were present.

The national secretary of EEFI, Sudip Dutta, said, “The Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) plan regarding the installation of pre-paid smart meters at the centre has several ill effects. The ultimate aim is to privatize the state distribution companies for the greater interest of corporate houses and adversely affect common electricity consumers, especially farmers. The centre is shifting its responsibility to supply electricity as an essential service at an affordable tariff to business commodities for more profit for private companies. It infringes the fundamental rights to electricity as per the Indian constitution.”

The representative from Odisha, Pranay Nayak, narrated the bitter experience of the past three decades of privatisation of Odisha Electricity Board in the name of reforms and re-organization. A DVC representative also expressed its concern for the newly-formed central government’s move to further corporatise and unbundle into three new entities as part of post-independent India’s first river valley multipurpose project, Damodar Valley Corporation. The representatives from West Bengal and Tripura also expressed similar views against the anti-people power policy of the government. The delegates from Meghalaya moved to strengthen the electricity employees in the north-eastern region.

The meeting resolved to address these concerns and work towards finding solutions to protect the interests of electricity employees and consumers.

 Also Read: Assam Consumers' body opposes pre-paid smart meters (sentinelassam.com)

Also Watch: