Himachal: Mass protest against installation of 'expensive, unnecessary' smart meters

Hamirpur (HP), Mar 5 (PTI) Hundreds of employees, pensioners and locals on Thursday gathered outside the office of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board (HPSEB) chief engineer here and raised slogans against the installation of smart meters across the state.

The Electricity Board Employees Union, Pensioners Forum, and consumers opposed the smart metering, saying they are expensive and an unnecessary technology for the general public.

They alleged that the technology is being pushed through the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill, 2025, with privatisation and the interests of private companies in mind.

According to the protesting employees, the technology should have been limited to industrial areas, smart city projects, and feeders of power substations, where the board and the government could have directly benefited. They alleged that the installation of smart meters is resulting in an additional financial burden of approximately Rs 2,500 crore, which will ultimately be recovered from consumers through electricity bills. PTI COR BPL MPL MPL