HT Correspondent
SIVASAGAR, Sept 9: The people’s protest against the smart metres installed by APDCL continues in Sivasagar district. On Monday, hundreds of Raijor Dal activists took out a procession from KPM Chariali to the APDCL Sivasagar Division Office, demanding the dismantling of the smart metres and the reinstallation of the earlier ones. Rupa Bora, a leader of Raijor Dal, stated that the smart metres are “bloodsuckers” and accused the state government of using them to fleece the people of their hard-earned money. The activists also demanded a statement from the government. AASU’s Sivasagar unit carried out a similar protest march against APDCL on Friday, and the CPI Sivasagar Council gheraoed the APDCL office on Saturday. The protest rally was led by Kanak Gogoi, general secretary of the CPI State Committee.
In Gaurisagar, AASU activists gheraoed the APDCL office and demanded the removal of smart metres on Friday. On another occasion, local consumers brought the body of a farmer who allegedly died due to APDCL’s negligence. The farmer was electrocuted by a live wire connected to a pump in a field near Gaurisagar.
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Pallab Pran Bora, executive engineer, APDCL, Sivasagar subdivision, told this correspondent over the phone that there has been no instance of a sharp hike in tariff after smart metres installation, as parallel connections in about 36 households in Sivasagar show similar consumption levels. In rural areas, however, a difference in tariffs is seen due to changes in rural electricity supply policy.
