Left parties, civil society organisations protest against smart meters, power tariff hike in Visakhapatnam
The protesters held a dharna in front of the APEPDCL office, raising slogans against the installation of smart meters and demanding removal of those already fixed. They also sought a rollback of the steep hike in power tariffs imposed in the name of true-up charges, adjustment charges, and other levies. They warned that the Chandrababu Naidu government would face consequences in the next elections if it failed to act on their demands. The protest was led by All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) district president and AITUC district general secretary G.S. Atchyutha Rao.
Addressing the gathering, CPI(M) leader K. Lokanadham criticised leaders of the alliance parties for aligning with the BJP-led Central government, which, he alleged, was handing over power distribution companies to corporate entities such as the Adani Group. He recalled the massive agitation against a similar power tariff hike in undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2000, which culminated in the 'Chalo Hyderabad' protest on August 28, during which three people lost their lives in police firing. He called upon people to gear up for another large-scale movement against smart meters and tariff hikes.
AITUC district secretary Rahaman, CITU district general secretary R.K.S.V. Kumar, and IFTU State leader M. Venkateswarlu pointed out that Nara Lokesh, when in the Opposition, had urged people to break smart meters. 'But now, the TDP-led alliance government is going ahead with their installation in a clandestine manner,' they alleged. They added that poor and middle-income families were already struggling with low incomes and unemployment, and the increased electricity charges would further burden them.
CITU district secretary M. Jaggunaidu, POW leader Lakshmi, AIFTU district secretary Deva, and DYFI district president U.S.N. Raju alleged that ₹3,000 crore had been collected from consumers under various charges for the period between 2014 and 2019. Additionally, they said that an extra burden of ₹15,485 crore was being imposed on the public to cover losses incurred between 2022–23 and 2023–24. They demanded the immediate cancellation of the agreement with the Adani Group.
AIDWA district general secretary Y. Satyavathi and NFIW district leader Vanajakshi were also among those who participated.
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