Expressing resentment over installation of the controversial smart meters in East Jaiñtia Hills district, two organisations have demanded the government to stop the project and uninstall the already fitted ones.
The Jaiñtia Youth Federation and the Southern Border Youth Welfare Association today placed their demand before Deputy Commissioner, Ethelbert Kharmalki to urge the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) to put a full stop to the project.
According to the organisations, the smart meters were installed at Umlynsha, Lad Wah Wapung, Umsatai, Lad Lakadong and Pynurkba villages in the district. They said that in these villages, where these smart meters were installed, families have complained of inflated power bills and threw up several discrepancies in the readings.
“This project is anti-poor and the government has used East Jaiñtia Hills as an experiment without creating awareness about the project and how electricity bills are calculated,” the organisations stated.
The smart meter project has been under a cloud, with civil society, pressure groups, opposition parties and even allies within the government balking at the cost. A look at the contract suggests that each smart meter costs Rs 9,444, though Power Minister James Sangma has insisted that the real cost is around Rs 3,500.
