‘Soaring power bills are an indirect tax imposed on rural people’
Shillong, Aug 11: BJP leader and Tura MDC Bernard N Marak has asked the state government to halt the imposition of exorbitant electricity bills on the rural poor saying that soaring electricity bills are an indirect tax imposed on poor tribal people living in the rural areas of the state.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Marak said that these exorbitant charges disproportionately affect low-income households in rural areas, where access to basic services is already limited.
“Pradhan Mantri Sahaj Bijli Har Ghar Yojana which aims at providing last mile connectivity and electricity connection to all un-electrified households in rural areas, has become a burden to the rural folks due to high rates slapped on them. Bills have become a means to extort the poor families in the rural areas,” Marak said.
“Smart metre is another issue as these meters are being installed without permission from the villagers. Those who install smart metres install new metres which are often faulty and they take the original metres installed through the scheme. The exorbitant bills which the poor families are slapped with have to pay them as no relief came through from the office in spite of lodging complaints,” he said.
According to him, tribals do not have to pay taxes in Meghalaya but indirect taxes have been imposed on the pretext of providing services in electricity, mobile etc.
He said that the Centre government has sanctioned funds for rural electrification for the poor but the poor are victimised by the departments.
“The way the bills are being slapped on the poor families, it looks like full pledge exploitation and looting of the simple-minded tribals is orchestrated. In some villages the families received exorbitant bills without electricity connection and there is no power for almost a month yet the bills remain high,” he also said.
“some widows complained of receiving bills as high as Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000 per month,” he said while demanding “the state government should stop imposing such exorbitant rates on the poor in the guise of bills.”
“Poor villagers use electricity as a necessity, not as a luxury,” he added.
