CPI(M) submits memorandum to Rupnarayanpur power office demanding cancellation of smart meters

Nirbheek Bengali, Shyam Das, Asansol: CPI(M)-Salanpur Electricity Distribution Committee (WBSEDCL CCC) submitted a petition on Monday opposing the government plan to install smart meters across the state. Calling smart meters "anti-people", the party leadership claims that this system will impose additional financial burden on the common middle class, lower class and working class people. CPI(M) alleges that efforts are being made to forcibly install smart meters across the state, ignoring the provisions of the Electricity Act of 2003. In protest against this, a 9-point demand letter was submitted to the Station Superintendent (SS) of the electricity department. It has been claimed in the script that as per Section 47(2) of the Electricity Act, 2003, installation of prepaid smart meter will be entirely dependent on the wishes of the customer. Smart meter will not be installed under any circumstances without the consent of the customer. Besides, there has been opposition to installation of smart meters in postpaid mode also. Apart from this, it has been demanded to stop the process of sending electricity bill only through WhatsApp or e-mail, not to charge additional meter rent or service charge in the name of installation of smart meter and to give the customer the opportunity to maintain the existing meter if he wishes. It is further said in the script, electricity is not a commercial product, it is a vital public service. Therefore, no privatization or franchise system of power generation, transmission and distribution system can be started. Apart from this, demands have also been made for reduction in the price of electricity, supply of fixed quantity of free electricity every month and improvement of electricity maintenance system in Salanpur block along with immediate start of emergency service. On this day, the letter jointly signed by Debashis Dey, Manoj Dutt, Pradeep Dutt, Subrata Chatterjee and Tapsi Choudhary on behalf of CPI(M) was handed over to the CPC official at Roopnarayanpur. The party leadership is wary that if the demands are not met, CPI(M) will take part in a bigger movement in the coming days, taking the common people along with them.