CPI (M) wants Puducherry government to drop move to install prepaid smart meters
Speaking to reporters, CPI (M) secretary S. Ramachandran said the party had already conducted a signature campaign in protest against the Central government's plan for privatising the power sector in the Union Territory. Now, the territorial government has planned to introduce prepaid digital meters for an estimated 4.7 lakh consumers in the region and placed orders with a Mumbai-based company.
Mr. Ramachandran said the proposal initiated would also require the consumer to foot about ₹9,000 towards installation cost. This was an unwarranted and unjustifiable burden on consumers, especially as this payment was on top of the security deposit levied at the time of issuing the connection, he said.
Besides affecting the common man and farmers, the installation of prepaid meters would pave the way for privatisation of the power sector in the Union Territory, Mr. Ramachandran said. The CPI (M) would launch a major stir if the proposal was not withdrawn, he added.
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