Arep Changkija
Life as a consumer of electricity provided by the Department of Power, Nagaland has not been an easy one for me. The story begins in Dimapur sometime in the 60’s till June 2021 as a Postpaid consumer, and as a Prepaid consumer from July 2021 till date.
There are numerous reasons that prompted me to migrate from Postpaid to Prepaid system and they can be summed up in one simple word – Challenging. If visits to the DoPN office every other month to rectify incorrect bills were not unpleasant enough, being viewed as a potential power thief was the icing.
Bear with me as I attempt to give a brief background about Postpaid woes. I have 3 meters installed with a sanctioned load of 26.000KW (which BTW may not be relevant today because power consumption per point has been drastically reduced thanks to LEDs, etc.) and having noticed discrepancies in my monthly bills I began to record meter readings at every visit of meter readers, and submit them whenever required. The department’s stand that average billing based on sanctioned load is a point I find no reason to argue. However, when they try to justify exorbitant bills ( sometimes in the higher 5 figure domain) is when things turn sour. My average bill for a family of 3 members used to come to around Rs.3,000/- a month, and in summer it even goes up to Rs.4,500/- per month which I pay without any fuss. I believe there are consumers with several floors paying way less, at least that’s what people tell me. Here is the interesting point. The department officials contention was that if the meter reading comes to average then there must be some form of tampering or defect so they removed the meters for testing on several occasions. On each of these instances the MITC has returned the meters certifying that they have been checked and found within the limit of accuracy. Confronted by this reality some staff even hinted that I have connived with the MITC to certify in my favor. My straightforward contention was that I will pay for the exact amount of electricity I consume as recorded by the meters, nothing less, nothing more. It is the duty of the department to ensure proper reading and accurate bills/meters. Besides the power supply is so irregular that it seldom allows many consumers to cross the threshold of average billing.
Having come to my wits end with this back and forth and facing undue harassment I volunteered to migrate to Prepaid meters in June 2021. And in order to minimize consumption and eliminate wasteful expenditure I got all my bulbs changed to LED (from existing CFL, etc.) and installed only power saving appliances including star rated ACs, besides practicing usage economy. After about a year I found that I was paying an average amount of Rs.7,000/- during summer months in spite of undertaking drastic power saving measures.
If the DoPN supplies stable power 24x7 (with minimum or no load shedding) this amount, though already on the higher side, would substantially increase.
Now consider the additional recurring expenditure of investing in a standby power supply like Inverters or Generators. And further consumption of electricity for charging the inverter batteries or fuel for Generators, besides maintenance/replacement and other hidden costs, and you get the picture how paying for electricity is starting to burden all consumers, especially consumers in the lower income bracket.
While electricity isn't explicitly listed as a fundamental right in the Constitution of India, courts in India have increasingly recognized it as an inherent right within the framework of Article 21, which guarantees the right to life. This means access to electricity is seen as crucial for a dignified life and is now considered a fundamental right.
The Calcutta High Court and other high courts have ruled that the right to electricity is integral to the right to life, meaning individuals cannot be arbitrarily deprived of it.
This judicial interpretation allows individuals whose access to electricity is denied to seek constitutional remedies through writ petitions in the Supreme Court (Article 32) or High Courts (Article 226).
Electricity is considered a basic necessity for modern living, enabling essential services like lighting, powering appliances, and supporting economic activities.
Sec.29 of the Electricity Act says The Regional Load Despatch Centre has the authority to give orders and oversee the power system in its region to make sure the electricity grid is stable and runs as economically and efficiently as possible.
While Italy is a pioneer in Smart meter technology and implementation, the USA and France have stopped transition due to widespread opposition citing government and corporate partnerships and financial arrangements with these companies. In India many states are attempting to implement this scheme compulsorily, and are being met with resistance from consumer societies and opposition parties. Smart meters are yet to be installed in 12 states including some BJP ruled states like Rajasthan, Goa and Manipur as of November 2024. Kerala has installed only 805 smart meters as of 28 February 2025.
Electricity, like healthcare, education, water supply, transport and sanitation are all basic services, and should not be considered as a means for profit, and the government is duty bound to provide these basic services at an affordable rate. The very fact that the government is allowed to levy taxes (indirect taxes are paid by all and forms a large chunk of the total taxes collected) is to ensure that every citizen has a comfortable life, a responsibility the government cannot surrender for the benefit of corporate entities.
Other than the objective of profiteering from already heavily taxed citizens of the country, there is also the prospect of health risks associated with continuous exposure to the emission of electromagnetic radiation/RF-EMF from smart meters that can lead to number of illnesses, including cancer, neurological conditions, and reproductive problems. Furthermore privacy, data security, potential cost increases and perceived limitations on consumer choice are some valid concerns raised by activists across the nation.
ToD tariff system is to begin from April 2025 which implies we will be paying 10-20% more when we need it most (nighttime) and 10-20% less when we don’t need it so much (daytime). There are a host of other user concerns that are not addressed here for the sake of brevity.
Today it is a matter of grave concern that domestic consumers in Nagaland, particularly in Dimapur, are being threatened by the use of force to adopt Prepaid meters in place of existing Postpaid ones, and denied new connection other than with Prepaid meters, and even up gradation of transformers are being used as a leverage for installation of Prepaid meters, completely disregarding consumer choice. Voicing apprehensions about smart meters on behalf of the public has also been made unlawful as can be interpreted as such in the recent government order.
What is unlawful about public wanting transparency in the Smart Prepaid Metering system? Or demanding up gradation of infra? Is it not a right for a consumer to know details about unit rates/tariff, consumption patterns/records, and others? And if a consumer pays in advance does he not have a right to expect electricity 24x7? Or does the government have the discretion to provide electricity at its own convenience even after getting paid in advance, at the expense of the consumer?
(The article has been written with inputs from various resources and the writer’s own experience).
