Assam: Public Gherao Electricity Sub-Divisional Office

JAMUGURIHAT: As a protest against the inadequate supply of electricity in the region, the local public gheraoed an office of the concerned department in the state.

The incident took place in the Jamugurihat region of the Sonitpur district of the state on Tuesday. A large number of residents of the Padmapur village of the Dholaibeel locality came out in protest of the problems faced them because of the inconsistency of the power supply.

The protesting people took to preventing the officials from entering or exiting the premises of the sub-divisional office of the department in Jamugurihat. The protesters mentioned that although the problem was there before, it has escalated recently. They raised complaints of several frequent power cuts throughout the day and additional voltage fluctuations. They also complained that even after charging a very high charge, people are not able to get a consistent supply of electricity in the region.

Along with rest of the country, including Assam, the Coordination Committee of Electricity Employees, Engineers, and Pensioners (CCEEEP) staged a protest against the privatization of the power sector on Wednesday. Hundreds of CCEEEP members were present in front of Bijuli Bhawan during their agitation. The Joint Coordinator of CCEEEP, Deepak Kumar Saha, said "The main aim of this agitation is the cancellation of the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2022, and the cancellation of privatization of the entire power sector. In Assam, 33/11 KV substations have already been outsourced one after another. We demand to stop the outsourcing process in the power substations in the state."

Saha further said, "The installation of prepaid smart meters has recently started in our state, which has caused much inconvenience to the general public. Consumers are facing discontent with the installation of smart meters. Until the infrastructural development and till the consumers are fully satisfied with the billing process of smart meters, they should not be installed." During the agitation, the association also demanded other issues like, power workers should be provided with security and safety in the workplace. The temporary workers should be regularized.

Also Read: Protest at Bijuli Bhawan against privatization of power sector

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