Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
“Earlier, my bill for 1 month was Rs. 1500. Now, my bill is Rs. 1300 just for 10 days!” – A resident of Vadodara
“We paid Rs 2,000, and within four days, only Rs 700 was left. If we cannot cover our expenses, we will return the new meters and reinstall the old ones. We don’t want a smart city if it means higher bills and constant recharges.” – Another resident
Gujarat is currently witnessing a surge of protests against smart meter installation in Surat, Vadodara, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Padra, Surendranagar, Anand, Godhra, Dahod, and several other places. More than 50,000 smart meters have already been installed in the state under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) of the Central Government. This implementation is done in the public–private partnership (PPP) mode, where private companies will be paid to supply and maintain the meters.
In Gujarat, in less than a month since implementation, consumers have complained that smart meters are charging much more than their usual bills. Many consumers have experienced that their prepaid amount of Rs. 2,000 is consumed within a week! A protesting resident mentioned: “Our bills used to be Rs 1,700 for two months, but now we can’t recharge our meters. We are threatened with fines and police action if we don’t comply. We don’t need these smart meters.”
Some consumers have even received bills of around Rs. 9 –13 lakhs. Upon complaining, they have been told that nothing is wrong with their smart meters! In places like Padra and Bil, residents have stated that they have no access to smartphones and are unable to track consumption or recharge their account using the app.
In cities such as Vadodara, people have come together to spread awareness by conducting awareness drives and organizing night meetings. More than 5,000 consumers have submitted applications at the Dakshin Gujarat Vij Company Ltd. offices stating that they oppose smart meters.
These protests have forced the government to adopt other ways to enforce smart meters. The government is experimenting with a dual-meter approach in which both traditional meters (“check meters”) and smart prepaid meters are installed for a household so that people can check whether both meters are recording the same amount of power consumption.
However, citizens across the country are realizing that smart meters are being implemented not for consumer welfare but for corporate profit.
Consumers in Maharashtra have also been raising their voice against smart meters because thee Maharashtra administration has already started installing smart meters in electricity workers’ colonies in Nagpur and Wardha.
We must remember that the implementation of smart meters is another step towards the privatization of electricity. Workers and consumers must unite and oppose smart meters.