All Assam Electricity Consumers Association Opposes Electricity Reforms: Launches Statewide Campaign

Reported by: Samdipto Chakravarti

In a move to express their concerns and opposition to recent developments in the state's electricity sector, the All Assam Electricity Consumers Association has garnered significant support from five lakh electricity consumers across Assam. The association plans to present a memorandum to the Chief Minister, highlighting issues such as the implementation of prepaid smart meters, surging electricity tariffs, the cancellation of the Electricity Amendment Bill-2022, refusal to enforce any section of the bill, and the suspension of the electricity sector's privatization.

Commencing on September 1st, at 6:30 in the morning, a widespread campaign is set to kick off in front of the APDCL office in Panbazar, Guwahati, simultaneously joined by the Cachar District Coordination Committee in Silchar and other parts of the state. The organization emphasizes that electricity plays a pivotal role in advancing modern civilization. Despite substantial investments in industries, economic growth, and electricity infrastructure using taxpayers' funds post-independence, the sector is facing deliberate dismantlement. Corporate entities are centralizing state-run electricity departments through collaborative tariff structures of the central and state governments, facilitating the privatization of the electricity sector for their personal gains. This shift jeopardizes essential services and converts them into lucrative commodities. Policies like prepaid smart meter installations and the Time of Day (TOD) policy only further this trajectory. Consumers, post-prepaid smart meter installations, have witnessed a three to fourfold increase in their electricity bills. Furthermore, these policies have led to a reduction in the workforce within the department.

In light of this, it becomes imperative to halt the privatization of the electricity sector to safeguard electricity services and preserve vital resources as affordable essentials. The introduction of the Electricity Amendment Bill-2022, aimed at expediting the privatization process, has been tabled in Parliament. Should this bill materialize into law, it threatens to deprive ordinary citizens of reliable access to electricity services in the foreseeable future.

The association urges the public at large to actively participate in this campaign by offering their signatures and support, as the collective endeavor strives to protect and preserve essential electricity services for the benefit of the citizens.