Report by Kamgar Ekta Committee (KEC) correspondent
Maharashtra State Electricity Workers’ Federation (MSEWF) organised a meeting on 20th July in Nagpur to oppose the Smart Meter Scheme and raise awareness about the same among electricity workers and consumers.
Electricity workers are opposing the installation of smart meters by carrying out protests and strikes all over Maharashtra. As a result of this, the Energy Minister of Maharashtra was forced to say that smart meters won’t be installed in the households. But so far no orders to cancel the tenders and contracts that have already been given to the capitalists have been issued.
Since more than two months the electricity workers have been carrying out protest actions and mass awareness campaign all over Nagpur. They are going among the people and explaining to them the burden that consumers will have to bear once the new meters are installed. Smart meter installation is going to be a massive attack on the electricity workers and consumers. It is estimated by the union that as many as 25000 electricity workers will be affected by this.
The meeting organised by the MSEWF was meant to intensify the campaign against meters and it called on electricity workers and people to join the campaign in large numbers.
The call given by the MSEWF for organizing the meeting is given below. (Translated from Marathi)
“You can guess that under the policy of the Central Government, the work of installing smart electricity meters has been started across the country. This scheme is facing strong opposition in various states.
The Maharashtra State Government has also decided to install smart electricity meters in the residences, businesses and institutions of low-tension electricity consumers in the state of Maharashtra through Mahavitaran to implement the policy of the Central Government and has started its implementation from Mahavitaran Colony. It is also being opposed at many places in our Maharashtra.
In this connection, protests, dharna movements etc. are being held against this scheme in many places including Nagpur. The effect of all these movements was that the Energy Minister of Maharashtra Government, Shri Devendra ji Fadnavis, announced in the Assembly that smart meters will not be installed in the houses of domestic electricity consumers. But no official announcement/statement has been made yet regarding the cancellation of tenders worth thousands of crores given to private investors for installing smart meters.
Agricultural pump customers have already been excluded. Keeping in mind the number of commercial customers excluding domestic customers, the tender amount provided is in crores of rupees. Therefore, it is natural to have distrust and doubt on the statement of the Energy Minister.
An anti-Smart Meter Citizen Struggle committee has been formed in Nagpur under the leadership of Comrade Mohan Sharmaji and the movement is going on. On May 29, a protest was held at Samvidhan Chowk and a memorandum was given to the Divisional Commissioner Nagpur in the name of the Honorable Chief Minister, Energy Minister and Chairman and Managing Director of Mahavitaran, demanding the cancellation of this scheme. After that, public awareness meetings were organized at various places in Nagpur city, Mahal, Variety Chowk, Ganeshpeth Chowk, Indora Chowk, Nandanvan Chowk and Vidyut Bhawan Katol Road to inform the public about the ill-effects of this scheme. Apart from Nagpur, this movement has started in many districts of Maharashtra.
If this scheme is implemented, then electricity workers will be hit doubly. They will have to bear the brunt of the increase in electricity rates as consumers and apart from that, permanent and contractual/outsourced employees doing the work of meter reading, billing, cash collection, bill allocation, disconnection of power supply, restoration of power supply will lose their jobs. More than 25000 employees will be affected by this. Thousands of families of contractual/outsourced workers will also have to face financial difficulties. If these employees are reduced, then alternatively the posts of employees in the Human Resources Department will also be reduced.
If this has to be stopped, then there is no option other than struggle.”