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Raipur, 24 August (HS). The pre-paid smart meter project is being implemented for corporate profits and privatization of the power sector. Not only will the homes of the poor be plunged into darkness, but thousands of electricity employees will lose their jobs. The CPI(M) will take to the streets to protest against this anti-people project. This is what CPI(M) state secretariat member Sanjay Parate said.
On the statewide call of CPM, a large number of CPM, CITU and Chhattisgarh Kisan Sabha workers protested against this project in Dhamtari today. Contract labourers working in the electricity department also participated in the protest.
Addressing the dharna, Parate alleged that the current meters are being replaced to create a market for smart meters, which have a lifespan of only 5-6 years. The price of these pre-paid smart meters is currently eight thousand rupees. The BJP government in Chhattisgarh is spending five thousand crore rupees from the government treasury to replace these meters, but in future its burden will be put on the consumers. The CPI(M) leader alleged that this is a step towards privatization of the power sector and in the coming days, the work of power generation and distribution will also be handed over to these corporate companies. After which these companies will sell electricity at high rates and the poor will not be in a position to buy it.
Samir Qureshi, Maniram Devangan, Purushottam Sahu, Raman Yadav etc. who were leading the protest also addressed the gathering. They said that wherever smart meters have been installed, the general public feels that their pockets are being robbed and these meters are being boycotted. They opposed the provision of the Electricity Bill that electricity rates will be higher for night hours and cross subsidy will be abolished.
Contract electricity workers' leader Durgesh Dewangan said that electricity distribution is a public sector work all over the world and here the BJP government is privatizing it. Due to this, thousands of permanent and contract employees in Chhattisgarh alone will lose their jobs. This is the real face of the BJP government which claims to provide employment to the unemployed.
Tulsiram Nirmalkar, Dayaram Sahu, Chandan Korram, Harish Parte, Lalita Sahu, Sarla Sharma, Anusuiya Kandra, Sagar Ram Nishad, Ram Ilakhat Nishad, GR Banjare etc. were prominent participants in the protest. After the protest, a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister was also handed over to the SDM.