Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau.
Rudrapur: Raising serious concerns over the planned installation of smart electricity meters in Uttarakhand, Kichha Congress MLA Tilak Raj Behar, along with deputy leader of the opposition and Khatima MLA Bhuwan Kapdi and Jaspur MLA Aadesh Chauhan, jointly addressed a press conference at Behar’s camp office in Rudrapur on Wednesday. The legislators warned that the new system would disproportionately impact poor and lower-middle-class consumers and announced plans to escalate their opposition, both in the state assembly and on the streets, starting February 16.
Behar criticized the financial burden the smart meters would impose on economically weaker families. “Many poor households already struggle to make their ends meet till the end of the month. With this system, they will be forced to make immediate bill payments, which will be even more challenging,” he said.
Kapdi said that people are already facing the issue of sudden power disconnections. He said, “If consumers fail to recharge on time, their electricity will be cut off automatically. This will severely affect daily wage earners who live hand to mouth and cannot always ensure timely recharges.”
Chauhan pointed out that the digital transition could be problematic for rural and less privileged households. “The new meters will be linked to mobile applications, but many poor families either lack smartphones or have limited internet access. They will find it difficult to monitor and manage their electricity consumption,” he stated.
The Congress MLAs further criticized the additional financial strain due to transaction charges, GST, and other hidden costs in the prepaid system. “Even small recharges may attract levies, adding to the economic hardship of consumers,” Kapdi remarked.
Behar also raised concerns over potential technical glitches. “System errors and faults in the meters can result in incorrect billing, leaving consumers helpless,” he said, adding that the lack of human intervention would make it harder for people to register complaints.
Chauhan warned that the power companies would gain excessive control. “Without any human oversight, companies will be able to cut power at will, denying the poor any chance to negotiate or appeal,” he said.
The leaders announced their intent to raise the issue in the assembly and vowed to take their protest to the streets from February 16. “We will not allow the government to impose this anti-poor system without safeguards. We will raise this issue in the assembly and also intensify our agitation,” they announced.
