Excess electrical meter readings in urban households, leading to inflated bills, is an election issue in the industrial town of Bhilwara, Rajasthan’s textile hub, following the BJP government’s alleged refusal to look into the matter.
Bandhs and protests were held in the various neighbourhoods here since June on the issue.
The Ajmer Vidyut Vitaran Nigam decided last year to replace the analogue meters with the electronic meters to get correct figures of power consumption. However, the electronic meters were changed once again this year, and the contract for maintenance and billing was given to a private firm, Secure Metering and Services Ltd.
People’s anger has spilled over to the streets several times with complaints of faulty reading despite normal consumption.
The power discom’s decision to introduce a monthly billing cycle, instead of bills being issued once in two months earlier, has also added to people’s distress.
Gopal Keer, Independent municipal councillor for the Sanganer ward, said the common complaint of all residents of his ward was that the meters were running fast and the private firm was charging excess without making an inquiry.
The consumers paid ₹135 each for installation of new meters. Residents have declared that there would be a “mass shift” of votes from the BJP to the Congress in the coming Assembly election. Mr. Keer said the ruling BJP itself was responsible for this state of affairs.
Shankar Jat’s motor-pump, at the well on his agricultural land outside the town, has been dysfunctional for the past 10 years. Yet he is getting a monthly bill of ₹3,700.
Ratan Lal Suthar, whose household has been registered in the below poverty line (BPL) category, has been getting a bill for ₹8,000 a month.
Congress plea
District Congress Committee president Rampal Sharma said the billing company was replacing old meters with the new ones which were 20% faster.
“An expenditure of ₹9 crore is being undertaken just for changing the meters. With this amount of money, the power infrastructure of an entire locality could have been strengthened,” he said.
Residents of localities such as Pathik Nagar, Keerkheda, Malikheda, Palra and Akola have joined the demonstrations and submitted memorandums to the district administration, but to no avail.
Congress candidate Anil Dangi has turned it into a poll issue and demanded immediate action, while alleging that the ruling BJP was “insensitive” to the plight of power consumers.
However, Amit Mathur, Director (Operations) of Secure Metering, said the issue had arisen because the consumers had started getting bills every month, instead of the bi-monthly billing cycle operative earlier.
“Since the average consumption, counted every month, is more in comparison with two months, people get an impression that they are being charged excessively,” Mr. Mathur told The Hindu . He said since the change was introduced during summer when power consumption was higher, the consumers had received bills with higher amounts
As the two-time BJP MLA Vitthal Shankar Awasthi, fielded once again as the party candidate, has not responded to the city residents' demand, the voters in several localities have declared his boycott. “When our elected representative is not willing to take up an issue affecting us, there is no compulsion on us to support him or his party,” Rajendra Singh, a resident of Sanganer, said.
Independent candidates and those from smaller parties have tried to exploit resentment among the people on the issue. Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate Abdul Salam said he had promised during his campaign that he would drive the private firm, “responsible for the mess”, out of the town if elected to the State Assembly.
