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Bhopal, October 6 (IANS) Thousands of electricity consumers from across Madhya Pradesh gathered on Monday to protest against the establishment of prepaid smart meters at Shahjahani Park in Bhopal.
The demonstrations organized under the banner of Madhya Pradesh Power Consumer Association (MECA) began around 12:30 pm and watched partnership from districts including Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur, Vidisha, Sehore and Saatna.
The protesters raised slogans against the government’s push for prepaid metering, called it a burden on the poor and violated consumer rights. Many people claimed that after the installation of smart meters, their electricity bills were doubled or three times, with bills twice a few months.
Leader of the Opposition Umang Cipher raised an alarm on the Smart Meter Project of Madhya Pradesh, called him “detective meter” and accused of serious privacy, security and financial risks.
He cited foreign links including Pakistani personnel, suspected contracts of Rs 2,000 crore, and data misuse. With only 18 percent meter installed, complaints have increased.
The irrigation demanded immediate investigation of companies involved, transparency in KYC data handling, and accountability from both state and central governments.
The protesters have argued that the step to install the pre-paid meter violates Section 47 (5) of the Electricity Act, 2003, which allows consumers to be selected between prepaid and post-paid billing.
He demanded a lack of tariff clarity and high cost of installation, allegedly Rs 6,000 per meter – Rs 6,000 per meter. To support their demands, protesters presented various consumers, who have been slapped with heavy electricity bills – a farmer from Guna district received a bill of Rs 2 lakh for domestic electricity consumption.
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SKTR/Dan