TNI Bureau: The Biju Yuva Janata Dal and Chhatra Janata Dal staged a massive protest in front of the Tata Power office at Power House Square in Bhubaneswar, opposing the imposition of an additional security deposit and the installation of smart electricity meters.
The protest was led by Biju Yuva Janata Dal president Chinmay Sahu and Chhatra Janata Dal leader Ipsita Sahu. Demonstrators demanded the immediate withdrawal of notices issued by TPCODL (Tata Power) seeking additional security deposits, alleging that the move places an undue financial burden on consumers.
The protesters also called for a halt to the installation of smart meters, alleging that consumers are being forced to replace existing functional meters. They claimed that smart meters have resulted in higher electricity bills and accused Tata Power of imposing unjustified charges.
The BJD further demanded the rollback and refund, with interest, of electricity tariffs allegedly being collected from consumers at rates higher than the national average. Party leaders urged the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission (OERC) to take steps similar to those taken by the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission to refund excess collections to consumers.
Addressing the gathering, BJD leaders alleged that inefficiency and corruption on the part of Tata Power have led to higher distribution losses in Odisha compared to national levels, with the burden being passed on to consumers through increased tariffs.
They warned that if what they termed as “financial exploitation” of consumers is not stopped, the BJD will intensify its agitation against Tata Power in the coming days in the interest of the public.
Several senior BJD leaders and party functionaries took part in the protest, including Debi Prasad Mishra, Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, Ashok Chandra Panda, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Pritiranjan Ghadei, Sushant Rout, Pranab Balabantaray, Rajendra Sahu, Snehangini Chhuria, Subas Singh, Abani Joshi, Amaresh Patra, Amarjit Senapati, Sofia Alam, Dhriti Martha, Tanmay Swain, Jyoti Ranjan Jena, Mihir Rout, Narayan Jena, Tumbanath Panda, Mihir Ray, S.K. Amir Mohammad, Bijay Ketan Sahu, Deepak Mahapatra, Neelamadhab Mahanti, Shubhranshu Padhi, Sanjit Mahanti, Manoj Senapati, Soumyaranjan Tripathy, Manoj Mahanti, Jagmohan Baliarsingh, Bishwaranjan Bhuyan, Gyanaranjan Manasingh, Tarini Prasad Nayak, Smruti Ranjan Pattnaik, Rashmi Ranjan Das, Chinmay Pradhan, Pruthviraj Panda, Dipak Behera, Sudipta Keshari Samal, Swadesh Ranjan Singh, Arup Srichandan, Manoranjan Swain, Sonali Priyadarshini, Lagnadeep Mishra, Madhusmita Parida, Bikash Sahu, Pradipta Biswal, Sukanta Kumar Ray, Fatima Khatun, Rocky Das, Sujit Palata Singh, Debasmita Das, Snehashis Jena, Ashok Nayak, Amit Jena, Tabrez Khan, Soumya Ranjan Mahapatra, Asmit Das, Samim Akhtar, Bijayalakshmi Dash, S.K. Nawaz, Sachchikanta Sahu, Sipul Swain, Pradyumna Mahanti, Shankar Mallick, Dipak Mahapatra and Ashish Sahu, among others.
