HT Correspondent
NAGAON, Aug 27: Amidst ongoing state-wide protests against smart metres, the All Nagaon District Students’ Union (AASU) staged a protest on Tuesday, titled ‘Funeral Procession of the Power Department’, in Nagaon town, blocking the main roads. The district unit of AASU carried a symbolic coffin of the Power Department throughout the town during the protest.
The protesters shouted various slogans against the ruling party and the APDCL. They strongly criticised the BJP-led state government, demanding a reduction in electricity tariffs and the replacement of smart metres with the old metres.
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The state financial secretary of the students’ organisation, Gourishankar Saikia, executive member Mriganka Shekhar Bharali Hazarika, Nagaon district students’ union president Seeman Bora, and general secretary Kankan Jyoti Baruah were among those who participated in the protest, according to a press note.
Our Margherita correspondent adds: On Tuesday, under the instruction of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee, the Margherita Block Congress Committee launched a protest as they gheraoed the office of the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) in Margherita, voicing strong opposition to the installation of smart metres in every household across Assam.
The protesters accused the state government of exploiting citizens through inflated electricity bill charges, claiming that the smart metres have syphoned off thousands of crores from the public.
The demonstration saw active participation from various wings of the Indian National Congress, including the Margherita Assembly Youth Congress and the Margherita Mahila Congress Committee, with more than 500 Congress workers and members.
Protesters chanted various slogans denouncing the BJP-led Assam government, condemning its policies as oppressive.
Tara Prasad Dehingia, president of the Margherita Block Congress Committee, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the government’s actions, stating, “It is unfortunate that under the guise of development, the BJP-led government has installed smart metres that are nothing more than a tool to drain money from the common people through excessive electricity bill recharges, as the public is fed up with this exploitation.”
Dehingia further pointed out that recently the Gujarat government had withdrawn the use of these smart metres, raising concerns over why Assam continues to implement them.
Tara Prasad Dehingia issued a stern warning, demanding the immediate cessation of smart metre installations in the Margherita subdivision and stating, “If the Assam government fails to do so, then the Margherita Block Congress Committee shall escalate protests, leading to massive agitations in the coming days at Margherita.”
Many senior and youth Congress leaders of the Margherita Block Congress Committee, such as Md Toufik Khan, Devendra Pandey, Avishek Kumar Beldar, Nazrul Hussain, Satender Prasad, Arup Sharma, Monoj Borgohain, Binita Hore, Urmila Nath Bhattacharjee, Krishna Acharjee, etc.
