Residents of Salipur are protesting against the replacement of traditional meters with digital ones, citing coercion by Tata Power. The demonstrators gathered at the Salipur electricity division office, accusing the company of labeling old meters as defective to justify the installation of 7,000 new meters. According to protesters, the company is charging customers around Rs 7,000 for the new meters and has led to increased electricity bills, tripling the previous costs.
The protesting residents believe that this move is a conspiracy to manipulate them financially. Nanda Kishore Bhuiyan, a protestor, expressed concerns that “Tata Power has taken over power distribution in the state for five years, and consumers are suffering. The meters which were earlier provided are being termed as faulty and the company is trying to install new meters. The new meters are resulting in inflated bills, which is a burden on consumers.”
Tata Power, on the other hand, claims that some defects have been detected in certain meters with specific serial numbers, and these will be replaced. Additionally, they stated that post-paid meters will be installed, and the head office will address concerns and other issues. The sub-divisional officer, Ravindra Kumar Dixit, emphasized that some issues with battery backup have been detected.
The protests highlight ongoing concerns about the transition to digital meters and the potential financial burden it may place on consumers. As the issue continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the situation will be resolved and what measures will be taken to address the grievances of affected consumers.