CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam on Wednesday condemned the TVK govt I Tamil Nadu for floating a tender to install smart meters under the Union govt’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) and demanded that it drop the plan, which he said would affect the interests of all sections of people.Shanmugam said the scheme was part of an attempt to privatise Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL). Though the Union govt was yet to introduce the Electricity (Amendment) Bill in Parliament, it was pressuring all the state govts to install smart meters, he alleged.The TN govt should not succumb to the pressure from the Centre and should not follow suit, Shanmugam said in a statement.He said the move could affect welfare measures, including 200 free units of electricity for domestic consumers, free power connections for farmers and subsidised electricity connections for MSMEs. It could also undermine the state govt’s control over TNPDCL and eventually pave the way for its privatisation, he alleged.The installation of smart meters could also result in the introduction of peak-hour tariffs for domestic consumers, he said and recalled that the previous DMK govt had attempted to implement the smart meter scheme but withdrew the plan following strong opposition from the Left parties.
