Cachar District seeks better power supply from APDCL: Asking for the moon?

The Cachar District Coordination Committee of the All Assam Electricity Consumers Association has submitted a memorandum to the Assistant General Manager (AGM) of APDCL Silchar Division-1, demanding an end to frequent load shedding, uninterrupted and regular power supply, permanent resolution of low voltage issues, and the replacement of old, defective electrical wires and transformers. The memorandum was received by a responsible employee in the absence of the AGM.

The delegation, represented by Ranjit Choudhury, Kamal Chakraborty, Paritosh Bhattacharya, Dipankar Chanda, Sanjiv Roy, Manas Das, Arindam Dev, Madhusudan Kar, and Khadeja Begum Laskar, highlighted the urgent need for reliable power supply amidst soaring temperatures in the Cachar district. With temperatures reaching 38/39 degrees Celsius and feeling like 49/50 degrees, the irregular power supply has caused severe distress to the general public, especially the elderly, sick, and children.

The representatives questioned the rationale behind collecting electricity bills in advance through the prepaid system when regular power supply cannot be ensured. They also inquired about the unresolved 'low voltage' problem, pointing out that overloaded transformers often lead to mechanical failures and disruptions in many areas.

Sanjiv Roy, Joint General Secretary of the organization, criticized the Chief Minister of Assam's recent statement that APDCL and APGCL have made significant progress as government service providers and that APDCL has turned profitable. He questioned how APDCL could be considered the best service provider while imposing hours of load shedding, accusing the Chief Minister of misleading the people of Assam.

Dipankar Chanda remarked on the public's awareness of the unrealistic praise for APDCL, accusing the Chief Minister of extorting money from the public. Arindam Dev noted that the forced installation of smart meters was supposed to resolve power issues, but the opposite has happened—APDCL now collects money in advance but fails to provide adequate services. Madhusudan Kar, Ranjit Choudhury, Manas Das, and Kamal Chakraborty echoed the sentiment, stating that APDCL has completely failed in providing electricity services, with many lives lost due to accidents caused by dilapidated electrical wires and transformers.

Hillol Bhattacharya, a convener of the Assam State Branch of the All Assam Electricity Consumers Association, argued that the imposition of prepaid smart meters was a step towards privatizing the power supply system, with no relation to improving services. He asserted that there is no legal right to forcibly impose smart meters on consumers.

The responsible employee assured the delegation that a meeting would be organized immediately to address their concerns. The organization demanded regular, uninterrupted power supply, permanent resolution of the 'low voltage' issue, replacement of overloaded transformers with high-capacity ones, balancing the load on LT lines, and the quick replacement of dilapidated electrical wires and defective transformers.