HT Correspondent
MARGHERITA, Sept 5: Members of Raijor Dal from Digboi Assembly constituency staged a protest in front of the office of the APDCL Margherita sub-divisional engineer on Thursday against the installation of smart metres.
The members of Raijor Dal shouted various slogans against the state government, the Power minister, and APDCL authorities.
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Lakhyajyoti Gogoi, president of Jatiyo Yuba Vahini, an umbrella organisation of Raijor Dal, said, “It is very unfortunate that, in the name of smart metres, the general public has been looted through prepaid recharge systems, while developed states like Gujarat, Delhi, and West Bengal have already withdrawn smart metres in their states.”
“Unfortunately, the Assam government has forcefully installed smart metres in every house in Assam,” he added.
Lakhyajyoti Gogoi further claimed that Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated that the electricity bills of tea garden workers in Powai Tea Estate would be waived off until March 3, 2024. “However, not a single worker of the tea garden has benefited,” he said.
“We demand that the Assam government immediately withdraw the installation of smart metres in every house in Assam. Otherwise, in the coming days, all people will submit their smart metres to the APDCL office in Margherita,” said Lakhyajyoti Gogoi.
A memorandum was submitted to the APDCL sub-divisional engineer’s office in Margherita by the members of Raijor Dal from Digboi Assembly constituency, demanding the waiver of electricity bills for tea garden workers in Assam at the earliest.
