The BJP government is turning Maharashtra into a new laboratory for corporate pillage and plunder of people's lives and livelihood, as Adani conglomerate continues to spread its tentacles across the state. The unfolding of the Dharavi Slum redevelopment project (DRDPL) has revealed the nefarious intentions and acts to make Adani the new corporate slum landlord of Mumbai. Adani gets about 600 acres of Dharavi land including interestingly the reserved eco-sensitive Mahim Bird and sea creatures Sanctuary surrounded by mangroves- the flood resistant shrubs all around the creeks in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. (see January 2023 issue of Liberation for detailed coverage on DRDPL and Adani).
From the multi-crore DRDPL to introducing electricity Prepaid smart meters into the electricity sector, the Adani group is attempting to wreak havoc on people's lives. The prepaid Smart Electricity, under the Central government's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), is against consumers and a step to make electricity distribution attractive for private monopolies. With more than half of power generation already in control of private corporates like Tata, Adani, Jindal and Torrent, they now want to own and control complete power supply chain – generation, transmission and distribution. Both RDSS and the proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill are part of this nefarious agenda which Modi- BJP government is trying to push for its corporate cronies.
To lay the foundation for this exploitation, prepaid smart metering was introduced as Adani and other corporates have pushed for subsidies on electricity rate must be paid by the government to companies promptly. They also want the government to create a loss free and upgraded distribution system, with the aim of taking over the system without hassle and any actual investment. Furthermore, the implementation of the smart metering scheme itself will provide business opportunity of about Rs 2 lakh crore for the corporates. In Maharashtra alone, Adani has been given an order of Rs.14,388 crores, holding 30% market share in India. They have bagged the contracts in 5 states for the smart meters.
Consumers would have to pay in advance before consuming power, and power would get disconnected automatically when the pre-paid amount is exhausted. These can have differential pricing structure for peak hours of the day. Modi government plans to install smart meter in every household in the country by 2025. This will be an additional financial burden on people. Already, in the state of Bihar, people are facing the wrath of smart meters with poor people receiving exorbitant electricity bills and there is growing anger against the scheme.
In Maharashtra, people are up in arms against the anti-people scheme. Several organisations came together in Mumbai on Sunday, July 7, 2024 under the banner of Vidyut Smart Meter Virodhi Kruti Samiti (Action Committee for Opposing Electricity Smart Meters), and resolved that they would fight against the installation of smart electricity meters till the Scheme is withdrawn.
