- Congress alleges ‘Air Reading,’ minister hits back
Bhopal/ Jabalpur: The introduction of smart electricity meters has ignited a political firestorm in the capital, with the Congress Slum Cell staging a fiery protest outside the MPEB office at Second Stop on Wednesday. Hundreds of activists and consumers, led by former Minister PC Sharma and Cell President Guddu Chauhan, participated, alleging that the new devices were causing unjustifiably high bills.
= Congress issues warning
Protesters presented a memorandum to MPEB officials. Guddu Chauhan dramatically claimed that the smart meters’ readings “increase even in the air,” unfairly burdening the poor. He warned that if the government fails to address the billing anomalies, Congress workers will escalate the agitation by gheraoing the Chief Minister’s residence and raising the issue in the State Assembly.
= The Energy Minister response
Responding to the aggressive protest, Energy Minister Pradhuman Singh Tomar, while in Jabalpur, strongly refuted the allegations. He stressed that electricity tariffs are solely determined by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission based on the companies’ financial data. He assured that provisions exist for consumers to register complaints regarding meter accuracy.
= Reaction to allegation of Smart Meter’s Pakistan connection
Minister Tomar directly addressed and rejected the Congress’s earlier, unsubstantiated claim of a “Pakistan connection” to the smart meters. He explained that sub-meters are being installed to address public doubt, and consumers can use a mobile app to monitor real-time consumption. Tomar concluded by noting that the smart meter installation deadline was recently extended due to supply shortages, further dismissing the opposition’s claims as unfounded.
