Smart meter row: Trouble mounts for Tata Power as Samyukt Kisan Morcha extends support to Odisha farmers

Tata Power continues to face the heat as the smart metre boycott has become a widespread movement in Bargarh and surrounding districts of Western Odisha. Electricity consumers continue to dump the prepaid smart meters outside the TPWODL offices in Odisha protesting against the ‘unethical practices’ of the discom.

Accusing the power company of inflated billing, farmers from various districts are hitting the streets against what they called the exploitation of the poor.

Meanwhile, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) also has extended support to the protesting farmers and members of Sanjukta Krushak Sangathan against the privatization of electricity distribution that has been handed over to Tata Power.

Also Read: Are TPWODL smart meters safe and reliable? Tata Power CEO opens up amid protest in Odisha

SKM claimed that Tata Power was installing prepaid smart meters against the agreement made by PM Narendra Modi government on December 9, 2020. The organisation claimed the privatization of electricity has become another tool to exploit the farmers and the public in general.

“PM Modi must immediately initiate discussions with the agitating farmers instead of recourse to suppress the peaceful struggles. An agreement was made by the Modi government under which a discussion was to be held with SKM before the enactment of the Electricity Privatisation Bill,” the statement read.

“SKM had demanded 300 units of free electricity per month to the families engaged in farming,” it further added.

Meanwhile, the SKM appealed to all protesting farmers to join the joint worker-farmer protest that is scheduled to be held on November 26, 2024. The SKM also called upon CM Mohan Majhi to immediately withdraw all the false cases filed against farmer leaders to leading the protests in Odisha.

(With PTI Inputs)