Agartala, 12th August 2026: The Tripura Pradesh Congress has demanded the scrapping of smart meters, withdrawal of additional electricity charges and an impartial investigation into complaints of abnormally high power bills following their installation.
Addressing a press conference at the Pradesh Congress headquarters in Agartala, party spokesperson Prabir Chakraborty criticised the BJP-led government’s electricity policy, alleging that consumers were being subjected to an excessive financial burden in the name of modernising the power sector.
Chakraborty claimed that several consumers had reported electricity bills rising manifold after smart meters were installed. Questioning the effectiveness of the system, he said the government must clarify whether smart meters had actually reduced electricity costs for consumers or instead increased their financial burden.
Taking a sharp dig at Power Minister Ratanlal Nath, Chakraborty alleged, “Falsehoods are being cultivated under the BJP’s rule. Power Minister Ratanlal Nath deserves a gold medal for spreading misinformation.”
He said Congress was not opposed to technology but maintained that technological intervention must improve transparency, efficiency and affordability. According to him, consumers were yet to receive a clear explanation about discrepancies between electricity consumption and bills before and after the installation of smart meters.
Chakraborty cited instances where consumers allegedly received bills several times higher than those of previous months despite no significant change in their consumption pattern. He questioned who would be held accountable if such abnormal bills were caused by technical glitches, faulty readings or other errors.
He also said he was examining unusually high electricity bills received at his own residence to verify the issue personally.
The Congress demanded public verification of electricity consumption data, meter readings and billing discrepancies, along with a comparison of records from before and after smart-meter installation.
State Congress SC Department chairman Niranjan Das and Sadar District Congress president Tanmoy Roy were present at the press conference.
