Nagpur: Reacting to the MSEDCL move to install smart prepaid power meters, the Maharashtra State Electricity Workers Federation has claimed that ultimately consumers are going to feel the pinch and the immediate effect would be realisation of Rs 16,000 crore through hike in power charges in next financial year itself.
Opposing the smart meters policy, Mohan Sharma, President, Federation said the same would render many persons jobless as the need for reading the meters, printing the bill and all other works would be eliminated. Nearly 20,000 persons associated with MSEDCL are going to lose their work due to smart meter policy and already no new jobs are getting created, Sharma lamented.
The senior trade union leader said that although Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) is claiming that smart meters would be provided free of cost to its consumers, however, what the company does not reveal is that they will realise the same while filling up their accounts. This is so as the State-run distribution company would have to sustain the interest on capital raised for purchasing the smart meters. So, during next financial year, the consumers’ power bills will soar to another high, as already MSEDCL charges are highest in the country, Sharma said.
Sharma further said that the smart meters are simply being forced on the consumers to favour big businesses and will further take the power sector towards privatisation. Due to installation of smart meters, current 2.5 crore meters would be scrapped and this would hurt the finances of MSEDCL which is already in the red due to huge default of power bills. And hence in future, the MSEDCL is going to recover the cost of meters through consumers.
At the same time, Sharma also appealed to employees of MSEDCL and also those employed on contractual basis not to co-operate with any agency for survey and installation of gateway and other smart meters as this is not part of their duty.
