TBN, Bhubaneswar: SKM Backs Farmers’ Protest Against Electricity Privatisation, Calls for Boycott of Prepaid Smart Meters
Over 15,000 Smart Meters Dismantled and Deposited at Tata Power’s Office in Padampur, Bargarh, Odisha
SKM Urges Odisha CM to Halt Retaliatory Measures Against Farmers
Demands for PM Modi to Fulfill His Promise and Initiate Dialogue
Joint Worker-Farmer Protest Scheduled for 26th November 2024 Across Districts
In Padampur block of Bargarh district in Western Odisha thousands of farmers are staging protests by removing prepaid smart electricity meters supplied by Tata powers from their homes and depositing them at the discom offices. This act symbolizes their opposition to the privatisation of electricity distribution and the imposition of prepaid meters by Tata Power. The farmers argue that this move goes against an agreement made between the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the government in 2020, which stipulated discussions before implementing the Electricity Privatisation Bill.
Farmers are concerned that prepaid meters will lead to higher costs and reduced control over their energy use, exacerbating financial difficulties for already struggling agricultural households. Their protest highlights broader issues such as demands for free electricity for farmers and a call for fairer policies. By piling the meters outside discom offices, the farmers aim to draw attention to their grievances and press for meaningful dialogue with the government.
Meanwhile , the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has announced full support for farmers in Bargarh district, Western Odisha, in their large-scale protest against the installation of prepaid smart meters and the privatisation of electricity distribution handed over to Tata Power. The farmers argue that the installation violates an agreement reached between the Modi Government and SKM on December 9, 2020, which mandated discussions before implementing the Electricity Privatisation Bill. SKM has reiterated its demand for 300 units of free electricity per month for farming families.
In Bargarh district, over 15,000 farmers have removed smart meters from their properties and gathered the devices at Tata Power’s offices in Padampur and surrounding areas. The movement to reject smart meters has gained significant momentum in Bargarh and neighboring districts of Western Odisha.
SKM has condemned the Odisha BJP government, led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, for its suppression of this peaceful farmers’ protest. This government, which recently came to power, has adopted a harsh stance against the movement. Notices have been issued to farmer leader Ramesh Mohapatra, labeling him a ‘habitual offender,’ although the only charges against him pertain to the voluntary boycott of smart meters. Mohapatra has challenged the notice in the Cuttack High Court, which has issued a notice to the Odisha government. Both the Bargarh District Bar Association and the Cuttack High Court Bar Association have expressed their support for the farmers’ cause. SKM demands that the Odisha CM immediately withdraw the charges against Mohapatra and other activists and engage in constructive dialogue with the agitating farmers.
SKM argues that electricity privatisation has become a tool of exploitation for farmers and the general public. In areas where farmers have long protested for minimum support prices, crop insurance, and irrigation, there is now organized resistance against perceived exploitation under the guise of electricity reform, including widespread rejection of prepaid smart meters. Similar movements are emerging nationwide, prompting SKM to urge Prime Minister Modi to honor the government’s promise of December 9, 2020, to engage in discussions on the Electricity Privatisation Bill in light of the historic Delhi border protests. The Prime Minister should initiate talks with the protesting farmers rather than resort to suppressing peaceful demonstrations.
On November 8, 2024, the ‘Sanyukt Krishak Sangathan’ hosted a ‘Krishak Garjan Samavesh’ in Padampur, Western Odisha, with SKM representatives P. Krishnaprasad, Aflatoon, and Rajendra Chaudhury attending.
SKM calls on all farmers protesting electricity privatisation across India to participate in a joint worker-farmer protest on November 26, 2024, organized by SKM and JPCTU.
