Gonda: As part of a statewide call by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] Uttar Pradesh State Committee, party workers and supporters staged a peaceful demonstration in Gonda on Monday to protest against the ongoing power crisis, the implementation of smart meters, rising electricity tariffs, and the proposed privatization of power distribution services.
Following the protest, a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh was submitted through Yadunath Yatharth, Chief Engineer of the Devipatan Division. The memorandum highlighted a range of public grievances related to electricity supply and sought immediate government intervention.
Among the key demands raised by the party was the rollback of the recent 10 percent increase in electricity tariffs. Protesters also called for an end to power cuts and urged the government to ensure uninterrupted 24-hour electricity supply across all regions, in line with its public commitments.
The memorandum strongly opposed the ongoing privatization process involving Dakshinanchal and Purvanchal power distribution corporations and demanded its immediate cancellation. It also called for the withdrawal of the proposed Electricity Amendment Bill, 2025, arguing that it would adversely affect consumers and public control over the power sector.
The CPI(M) further demanded 300 units of free electricity for all domestic consumers and unconditional free electricity for farmers for irrigation purposes. The party sought a minimum of 18 hours of daily power supply for agricultural tube wells and urged the government to stop collecting connection charges and additional surcharges on domestic and agricultural power connections, insisting that consumers should only pay for actual electricity consumption.
The memorandum also called for an end to extra charges levied in the name of power lines, transformers, meters, billing, disconnection, and reconnection services. It demanded that taxes allegedly collected unlawfully from consumers be adjusted against future electricity bills.
Other demands included the reversal of forced load increases imposed on domestic and tube-well connections in previous years, withdrawal of policies linking electricity tariffs to fuel prices and imported coal costs, and scrapping differential tariff structures during peak hours.
The protesters also pressed for regular recruitment to fill all vacant posts in the electricity department and the regularization of contractual employees. They demanded the withdrawal of restrictions imposed on peaceful strikes by electricity workers, including the use of the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA).
A significant portion of the memorandum focused on concerns surrounding the smart meter scheme. The party called for the immediate suspension of the program pending a comprehensive review. It also demanded that consumers who had smart meters installed against their wishes be given the option to revert to conventional meters. Additionally, the memorandum highlighted complaints regarding technical faults, inaccurate billing, and issues arising from the prepaid billing system.
The CPI(M) reiterated its opposition to both complete and partial privatization of electricity services, emphasizing that the power sector should remain under public ownership and control.
The demonstration was led by District Secretary Kaushalendra Pandey and saw participation from Amit Shukla, Moharram Ali, Amrit Lal, Khagendra Janwadi, Ashish Singh (Advocate), Robi Ganguly, Sitaram Kashyap, Ravindra Singh, Yogendra Verma (Advocate), Manjeet Singh, Shyampal, Gulab Chaudhary (Advocate), Sunil Yadav (Advocate), Shiv Kumar, Amit Tiwari, and several other party workers and supporters.
The protest concluded peacefully with party leaders expressing hope that the state government would address the concerns raised and initiate discussions on the issues affecting electricity consumers, farmers, and power sector employees across Uttar Pradesh.
