Guwahati, April 1 (IANS) Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced a reduction in the power tariff, and said the consumers will get relief before the summer season sets in Assam.
Taking to X, Sarma wrote, “It’s April – temperatures will increase but your bijli bill will decrease. Beginning today, families in Assam will see a drop of ₹1 per unit in electricity bills along with a rebate at the end of the year.” “PS : This isn’t an April Fool Prank,” he added.
Meanwhile, the smart electric meters in the households have become a bone of contention between the ruling party and the opposition in Assam.
The opposition leaders have alleged that the smart electric meters are giving inflated power bills and it has been causing distress for the general people although the state government has refuted this claim.
Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi recently said, “The state government has been involved in harassing the general people by collecting higher power bills through smart electric meters. We oppose installation of such meters in the households and urge the state government to roll back its decision in this regard.”
The opposition legislators also protested in the Assembly against the smart prepaid meters recently. Congress and other opposition party leaders unitedly opposed the government’s move against smart electric meters. However, the state government claimed that the smart electric meters are error-free and have not caused any inflated bills to the households.
Minister Pijush Hazarika said, “The power department has been installing the smart electric meters in the households for the last one year. There have not been major complaints from the general people. The power bills in the households always go high in the summer and this has happened this time also. This does not mean the new meters are giving inflated bills.”
He has also advised the opposition MLAs to install two meters side-by-side for a month in their residences and check for any discrepancy in the power bills.
–IANS
tdr/dpb
