Left parties stage protest against ‘smart meters’

VISAKHAPATNAM

The Left parties staged a protest at the APEPDCL Corporate Office, where the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) was conducting a public hearing on Thursday, against the proposal of fixing smart meters for the connections given to all 1.89 crore consumers in the State.

The activists of the CPI and CPI (M) raised slogans against the proposal, saying that it would add ‘undue burden’ to the common man while enabling corporate groups to make profits. They demanded that the APERC should withdraw the decision with immediate effect.

CPI State assistant secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy said that the Left parties would launch another agitation, if the Central and State governments did drop the ‘electricity reforms’. “The electricity officials and the police denied entry to the CPI leaders even as they had obtained the permission to participate in the meeting,” alleged Mr. Murthy.

Earlier in the day, the CPI and CPI(M) activists took out a rally from the Gurudwara Junction to the corporate office of the APEPDCL.

CPI(M) State secretariat member K. Lokanadham, CPI district secretary M. Pydiraju addressed the protesters. CPI leaders A. Vimala, K. Satyanarayana, Sk. Rehaman, G. Rambabu, P. Chandrasekhar and Md. Begum were among those who participated in the protest.