Bhubaneswar: Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJJ) government in Odisha of allowing Tata Power to exploit electricity consumers through smart meter installation, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday demanded a thorough audit of all four power distribution companies by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, senior BJD leaders Arun Sahoo and Dibyashankar Mishra claimed that consumers in Odisha are being deprived of continuous and quality electricity services.
As per the vesting order issued by the OERC, Tata Power was required to spend more than Rs 5,000 crore for the development of power infrastructure in Odisha, they said, adding that there has been no audit so far regarding how much Tata Power has actually spent towards infrastructure development.
Claiming that the state government has provided a subsidy of Rs 735 crore to Tata Power for smart meters, Sahoo said Rs 307 crore of the amount has been provided for meters already installed by the company, while Rs 428 crore given for installation of new smart meters. “The question here is: when the government has borne the cost of smart meters already installed by the company, why is the meter rent collected from consumers not being refunded to them?” he sought to know.
While the price of smart meters in other states such as Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka was less than Rs 3,000, the distribution companies have shown the price of a smart meter in Odisha as Rs 3,993, the BJD leader claimed.
He further claimed that the OERC had in March this year advised that steps be taken for a CAG audit of all four distribution companies, yet the silence of the State Government is creating suspicion. It is worth mentioning that in May this year, the Delhi High Court directed that a CAG audit be conducted without relying upon the internal audits of the distribution companies.
The BJD leaders demanded that the state government immediately take steps for a CAG audit. The annual reports of each distribution company, covering revenue collection, expenditure on infrastructure development, and profit and loss, should be made public. A special mechanism should also be established for resolving consumer complaints, said Sahoo.
Dibyashankar Mishra said that Tata Power has been repeatedly approaching the OERC seeking an increase in electricity tariffs on the pretext of rising operational costs. The BJP Government, which came to power raising the slogan of Odia Asmita, is now bringing people from outside the State and appointing them at high salaries. Local youth who were employed on a contractual basis through agencies outside the State are being retrenched, he claimed.
By removing SHGs and engaging agencies from outside Odisha, Tata Power is also making profits through meter reading, billing and bill collection, Mishra claimed.
He further claimed that even after receiving the entire cost from the government for installing meters for consumers using electricity up to 2 KW, the distribution companies have still not refunded the meter rent collected from consumers.
Although there is a 1992 helpline for consumers, no service is being provided through it and the distribution companies are not giving due importance to the grievances raised by elected representatives, he claimed, adding that if the government continues to turn a blind eye to these problems, then a massive public movement will emerge in the coming days.