AGARTALA: Former Power Minister Manik Dey, former Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha, Tripura Electricity Consumers and Employees Welfare Association Secretary Nataraj Dutta, and former MP Shankar Prasad Dutta raised concerns over rising power purchase costs and the smart meter rollout at a press conference.
Dey said TSECL, formed in 2004, now has to buy significant electricity from outside as the state’s own generation falls short of demand, pushing up costs. He questioned why an additional gas duty, imposed since 2019-20, continues to burden consumers when the gas used at Palatana and Bamutia/Baramura is produced within Tripura itself, and the state already earns royalty from it. The extra charge, he said, goes to the state government rather than TSECL’s own revenue.
On smart meters, Dey noted the earlier World Bank-backed trial in Agartala, where roughly 50,000 government-installed meters drew no complaints, since the government bore responsibility for faults. Current smart meters, installed via private companies at Rs 8,000–10,000 apiece against Rs 1,400–1,600 for old meters, raise questions over who will bear future replacement costs.
He said the government should issue a clear statement on smart meters, citing opposition to the rollout in several states nationwide.