Sat Aug 02 14:51:08 UTC 2025: **News Article:**
**CPI (M) Demands Halt to Prepaid Smart Meter Rollout in Puducherry**
**PUDUCHERRY – August 2, 2025:** The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] is urging the Puducherry government to suspend its plans to implement prepaid smart meters for electricity billing across the Union Territory. The party argues the move will burden consumers and pave the way for privatization of the power sector.
CPI(M) Secretary S. Ramachandran told reporters on Saturday that the proposed rollout, impacting an estimated 470,000 consumers, would require residents to pay approximately ₹9,000 for installation on top of existing security deposits. Ramachandran deemed this “unwarranted and unjustifiable,” particularly for common citizens and farmers.
The CPI(M) views the smart meter initiative as a step towards privatization, a move they have already protested through a signature campaign against the Central government’s power sector plans for Puducherry.
“The installation of prepaid meters would pave the way for privatisation of the power sector in the Union Territory,” Ramachandran stated. He warned that the CPI(M) would launch a major protest if the government does not withdraw the proposal.
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