The Communist Party of India (Marxist) opposed the Himachal government’s decision to implement privatisation of the Electricity Department, smart meter policy, and enforcement of the Electricity Amendment Bill, 2022 in Himachal Pradesh.

Shimla District CPM Secretary Sanjay Chauhan said, “This will abolish the State Electricity Board and the distribution of electricity will also be handed over to private hands. Due to this electricity will become expensive as private companies prioritize earning profits and the general public will have more financial burden,” he said.

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“If the government does not immediately withdraw this anti-people decision of the tender made for installing pre-paid smart meters, then the party will mobilise the people against this policy of the government and will protest,” he warned.

He said in 2003, the then BJP government promoted privatisation in the power sector and brought the Electricity Bill, 2003 to hand over its production as well as distribution to private hands. After this, the BJP’s Narendra Modi Government took rapid steps to bring private companies into the power sector by bringing the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020 and the Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 and worked to speed up the work of installing pre-paid smart meters in the country, he added.

In the name of reforms in the power sector, pressure was put on the state governments to implement it, he said.

Despite opposition, the Modi Government is rapidly promoting the privatisation of the power sector in the country and is working to give profits to private companies like Adani-Ambani through pre-paid smart meters, he charged.

He further said that in Himachal Pradesh too, during the Covid period in the year 2021, the BJP’s former Jai Ram Thakur government decided to implement this smart meter scheme in the name of electricity reform and in the year 2022 a tripartite agreement was made between the Central Government, State Government and State Electricity Board.

In this, it was agreed to implement all the conditions set by the Central Government and under this agreement, a project of Rs 3,700 crore was implemented in the Electricity Board.

The previous government had invited tenders for purchase of smart meters, however, after the formation of Congress government in the state, the tender was cancelled.

The state government has again floated a tender for purchasing 26 lakh pre-paid smart meters and for this Rs 3,100 crore will be spent.

“The price per meter has been stated as around Rs 9,200 in this tender whereas in other states, the tender for pre-paid meters has been fixed at Rs 3,400 per meter. This is a huge difference and it has exposed the loot being done by private companies in the name of smart meters,” he alleged.

Along with this, the general public will have to pay Rs. 90 to 125 for pre-paid smart meters and if the smart meter gets damaged or burnt, then its full cost of about Rs. 9200 will be recovered from the consumer, he stated.

The party demanded strict action against the officials who purchase smart meters at high prices.

Due to the installation of smart meters, the consumers will be forced to pay hefty bills which will result in the poor and middle class being deprived of electricity.

The subsidy for the poor and middle class will stop and the 12 lakh consumers who are currently getting 125 units of electricity free will no longer get free electricity, he said.

The smart meter scheme will prove to be disastrous for small industries, shopkeepers, flourmill and saw machine operators, the poor, and the middle class, he added.