AAP Protests Over Goa Power Bills After Smart Meter Rollout Paused
The government’s temporary hold on smart meters has not ended street protests as consumers press for cancelled bills and penalty refunds.
Overview
- AAP activists marched to Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar’s residence in Nagueshi village on Saturday to demand relief from what they called inflated electricity bills and steep penalties for exceeding sanctioned load limits.
- The party escalated its action on Sunday by waving black flags at the minister during a private visit to Ponda and vowed to continue protests until disputed bills and load-linked penalties are officially withdrawn.
- Chief Minister Pramod Sawant ordered a temporary hold on the smart meter installations and on collecting the load-linked penalties after public and opposition criticism, but AAP says that partial rollback is insufficient without cancellation of issued bills.
- Consumers and AAP say smart meters and the new penalty rules changed how usage is measured and billed, which they blame for sudden jumps in charges and for penalties tied to a consumer’s sanctioned load rather than actual timed usage.
- The dispute has widened into a political issue with Congress also criticising the government and AAP warning of possible privatisation of the electricity department if the BJP remains in power, keeping pressure on the state administration to produce a clear remediation order.