Staff Reporter
Guwahati: The All Assam Electricity Consumers Association (AAECA) staged statewide protests opposing the compulsory installation of prepaid smart meters in households. Demonstrations were held outside multiple APDCL circle and sub-circle offices, where memoranda were submitted to the State Power Minister demanding an immediate halt to the initiative.
A separate delegation also submitted a memorandum to the Union Power Minister through the Governor of Assam, seeking a complete rollback of the smart meter project.
AAECA State Convener Ajay Acharya in a statement questioned the legality of mandatory installations and cited public resistance ongoing for the past two years. “There is no law in the country that mandates compulsory smart meters,” he said, pointing to West Bengal, Gujarat, and Karnataka—states where similar moves have been scrapped or paused.
Acharya alleged that the Assam government is using threats of disconnection and financial penalties to coerce consumers, including warnings that non-compliant households may later have to purchase meters for Rs 12,000. Calling it an “unjust imposition,” he accused the government of promoting corporate interests, particularly those of conglomerates like Ambani and Adani.
Terming the move anti-people, AAECA demanded the immediate removal of already-installed smart meters, reinstatement of digital meters, and a complete stop to further installations. The association also urged citizens to mobilize and resist what it called a “corporate-driven agenda.”
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