By Neeraj Mishra
It is the season of protest. From student marches in Delhi to demonstrations across the country, India’s streets have become arenas of public dissent. Chhattisgarh, too, has joined this wave of agitation—but with a markedly different grievance. Here, the rallying cry is not against examination paper leaks or the NEET controversy. It is against electricity bills that many consumers say have become impossibly high.
At the centre of the storm is the rapid installation of electronic “smart” electricity meters, which thousands of consumers blame for a dramatic increase in monthly power consumption readings. Households across the state claim that their electricity usage has apparently jumped by nearly 30 percent, translating into sharply higher monthly bills.
The issue has struck a raw nerve in a state where scorching summers make electricity a necessity rather than a luxury.
This summer, Chhattisgarh’s peak power demand touched nearly 7,078 MW, up substantially from around 5,000 MW last year. Ironically, generation is not the problem. With an installed capacity of nearly 31,000 MW, driven largely by thermal and solar plants, the state produces far more electricity than it consumes. Much of the surplus is sold to neighbouring states such as Gujarat and Maharashtra, while several private generating units are owned by the Adani Group.
Consumers argue that the problem lies not in supply, but in billing.
Families that earlier consumed around 500 units a month say their new meters now record consumption closer to 650 or even 750 units without any noticeable change in lifestyle. For many middle-class households, the financial impact has been severe.
The burden has been compounded by policy changes.
The BJP government withdrew the 50 percent subsidy on the first 400 units of domestic consumption that had been introduced by the previous Congress government. Electricity tariffs have also been revised upwards twice during the past three years, pushing the per-unit rate from around Rs seven to approximately Rs 8.20. For consumers, the combination of higher tariffs, withdrawal of subsidies and increased meter readings has created a perfect financial storm.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai has rejected allegations that the new meters are responsible for inflated bills. According to him, electricity consumption has naturally increased and the electronic meters merely record usage more accurately. Similar technology, he argues, is now being adopted across the country.
The Chhattisgarh State Power Company (CSPC) echoes that explanation. Officials maintain that smart meters register electricity consumption with far greater precision than older mechanical meters. Appliances left on standby, televisions switched off, but connected to power, and other seemingly insignificant loads are now measured accurately—consumption that older meters often failed to record.
Consumers, however, remain unconvinced. For many families, technical explanations provide little comfort when monthly bills have doubled.
An elderly couple protesting outside a CSPC office in Raipur perhaps captured the public mood best. “Our bill used to be around Rs 300. Now it is nearly Rs 700. We have only a few bulbs and fans—no air-conditioner, no cooler. How are we supposed to manage?”
The controversy has also drawn attention to the functioning of the state’s power utility.
Critics point to the corporation’s sizeable workforce and comparatively high salary structure, arguing that inefficiencies within the system ultimately burden consumers. Questions are also being raised about operational costs, electricity theft and financial management, all of which feed into public perceptions that ordinary consumers are paying for systemic shortcomings.
Behind the billing controversy lies a larger political and fiscal dilemma. The BJP government has continued flagship welfare initiatives, including the Mahtari Vandan Yojana, under which eligible women receive Rs 1,000 every month.
It also promised generous incentives for paddy farmers and announced concessions on agricultural inputs.
But implementing these commitments has become increasingly difficult amid mounting fiscal pressures.
Farmer bonuses have reportedly been capped below earlier expectations, while subsidies on fertilisers and pesticides have become harder to sustain amid rising input costs and global geopolitical disruptions.
With limited financial support from the centre and delays in the state’s share of GST revenues, the government has been compelled to mobilise additional internal resources. Opposition parties argue that higher electricity tariffs and the withdrawal of subsidies effectively amount to recovering the cost of welfare programmes from the same citizens who are meant to benefit from them.
Whether or not that accusation is economically accurate, it has gained considerable political traction.
The Congress has seized the opportunity. Its leaders have revived comparisons with the previous government’s electricity subsidy scheme and have organised demonstrations outside electricity offices across the state. Youth Congress workers have staged gheraos, while local leaders have encouraged consumers to resist the installation of smart meters and demand independent verification of electricity bills.
What began as consumer dissatisfaction has steadily evolved into a political issue with potentially significant electoral consequences.
With assembly elections less than two years away, the government faces a difficult balancing act. It must convince consumers that smart meters are technologically sound while simultaneously addressing widespread public distrust over rising bills.
Unless it succeeds in restoring confidence, a controversy that began with electricity meters could end up measuring something far more consequential—the public’s faith in the government itself.
—The writer is a senior journalist
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