Jhansi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) staged a massive protest across Uttar Pradesh on Saturday against alleged irregularities in the smart meter system, including faulty billing, forced prepaid meters, and frequent power cuts. The demonstration was organized following a call by party leadership, including Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh.
Party workers gathered at district electricity substations across the state and submitted a memorandum addressed to the President of India through local प्रशासन officials. During the protest, AAP leaders termed smart meters as “digital loot” and raised slogans against the government, demanding the immediate rollback of the system.
District President Arshad Khan alleged that the smart meter scheme in Uttar Pradesh has completely failed and has turned into a tool of financial exploitation rather than providing relief to consumers. He claimed that power supply is cut immediately once the balance runs out, but even after recharging, electricity is not restored for hours—sometimes taking between 2 to 12 hours.
Metropolitan President Gyadeen Kushwaha stated that around 7.8 to 8 million smart meters have been installed in the state so far, out of which nearly 7 million are prepaid meters. He highlighted that consumers are facing issues such as incorrect billing, rapid depletion of balance, and unexpected power cuts. In several cases, electricity bills that were earlier around ₹1500 have reportedly surged to ₹6000–7000.
Youth State General Secretary Ankit
