Margao: Setting a deadline for Friday evening, Aam Aadmi Party warned of a protest march to the residence of power minister Ramkrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar if govt fails to announce withdrawal of sanctioned load penalties imposed on electricity consumers across Goa.AAP Goa president Valmiki Naik, who said party leaders had visited families across the state, demanded that all sanctioned load penalties be immediately withdrawn and consumers be given a three-month window to regularise their load without penalty. He argued that most consumers had never been adequately informed about the consequences of exceeding sanctioned load limits fixed decades ago, when household consumption was far lower.AAP minority leader Sarfaraz Ankalgi called it unconscionable that a person earning Rs 12,000–15,000 a month should face electricity bills exceeding Rs 11,000.Goa Congress media chairperson Amarnath Panjikar, meanwhile, demanded that the electricity department launch a comprehensive consumer awareness drive before proceeding with smart meter installations. He questioned why the department, which holds consumers’ billing addresses and mobile numbers, had relied solely on newspaper advertisements rather than SMS alerts, bill inserts or WhatsApp notifications to inform consumers.
