Chennai: P. Shanmugam, the state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has urged that the tender notification issued by the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation for the installation of smart meters be withdrawn.
In a statement issued on the matter, he said, “The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation has invited tenders for the installation of smart meters. The smart meter project is only a part of the plan to hand over the electricity board entirely to private hands. Therefore, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemns this tender notification and insists that it be withdrawn.
The Electricity Amendment Bill has not yet been passed in Parliament. However, the BJP-led Union government is imposing pressures on all state governments to install smart meters.
When the DMK government sought such tender terms in 2023, the Marxist Communist Party strongly opposed it. The DMK government was also forced to withdraw it. Now the TVK government is traveling on the same path. It has begun the work of installing smart meters in all 12 zones across Tamil Nadu.
When the Left Democratic Front government was in power in Kerala, the government-owned company itself began the work of installing smart meters on a trial basis at its own capital expense (Capex model).
But in Tamil Nadu, since contract bids are being invited from private parties and implemented through the Totex model, it is clear that this is a move toward privatization. Its consequences will be extremely severe in the future. It is nothing but handing over the entire electricity service to the gamble of the market.
The current 200 units of free electricity, free electricity provided for agriculture, subsidies provided to small and micro industries, free electricity provided to the handloom weaving industry, cross-subsidies, and various other social welfare measures will all be called into question.
Control over electricity tariffs and distribution will also be relinquished by the government. The peak-hour charges currently imposed on commercial establishments will also be forced upon households. In addition, privatization will have severe adverse impacts on state rights, social justice, and employment opportunities.
Therefore, this decision of the government is unacceptable in any way. The State Executive Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to abandon this decision, which is yielding to the coercion of the Union government and the pressure of the path of modern neoliberal economics,” he said.