Assam CM claims power bills drop as smart meter row heats up
Highlighting the system's effectiveness, the Chief Minister pointed out that smart meters have featured in election manifestos across party lines in multiple states.
Guwahati, Oct 6: Amidst ongoing protests against smart meters, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asserted that consumers are already witnessing lower power tariffs with the onset of winter.
"Consumers have sent me messages stating they’ve noticed a drop in power bills. The organisations protesting (against smart meters) should check if they’ve observed the same reduction. During the summer, consumption increases, and so do power bills. In the next three months, as consumption decreases, the bills will go down further,” Sarma told the press.
Informing that the smart meter system has been mentioned in several election manifestos across party lines in various states, the Chief Minister highlighted the system's effectiveness.
“The installation of smart meters has been included in the election manifestos of both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress for the Haryana Assembly elections. On one hand, they are incorporating smart meters in their manifesto, while here they are protesting,” Sarma said, targeting the Opposition in Assam.
Earlier in the day, the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) staged statewide protests, condemning steep rise in electricity tariffs attributed to smart meters. The protestors expressed their anger over the 'anomalous' tariff calculations, severely burdening the power consumers.
The AASU also protested the persistent irregularity in power supply. In all district headquarters, the AASU protestors highlighted the growing frustration among the consumers, who are left to contend with exorbitant charges despite frequent power outages.
"People are paying through their noses, yet power remains as unreliable as ever. This is gross injustice," said AASU president Utpal Sarma. General secretary in-charge Shorjun Hanse also accused the government and the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) of failing to provide satisfactory explanations.
“The State government and the APDCL have no convincing answers. Consumers are being charged up to three times more than what they paid before, and no one in power is willing to address this,” the AASU leaders said.
The AASU also targeted Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Power Minister Nandita Gorlosa, accusing both of them of being indifferent to the mounting public outrage.
