Morcha ups ante on electricity - Cease-work by meter readers & shutdown of power offices

Vivek Chhetri, TT, Darjeeling, Feb. 13: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha today announced that around 250 people who take electricity meter readings would stop working from tomorrow and the party would close down the offices of West Bengal Electricity Distribution Company Limited across the hills from Monday.

Bimal Gurung, president of the Morcha, explained the reasons for the shutdown and the strike by the meter reading people at a press conference here today.

"The spot meter readers have approached me and told me that they are being treated unfairly though they put in 15 years of service. Also, there is no word on sharing of electricity with the GTA (by the state government) as had been agreed in the GTA memorandum of agreement. We also believe the common people are being harassed with inflated bills for no fault of theirs," said Gurung.

Elaborating on the alleged public inconvenience, Gurung said: "I am being told that the earlier meter readers, who were employees of the electricity department, would not visit households on a regular basis but would draw up bills of a consumer sitting in their offices. Now that spot billing has been introduced, the units which were not charged earlier are being reflected in the bills. The general public is being inconvenienced for no fault of theirs. Moreover, the electricity department might also be adding the dues incurred during the agitation period, even though this issue has not yet been settled."

The Morcha had asked the hill people not to pay electricity bills from April 2008 to July 2011 as part of their non-cooperation movement.

The decision to stop the meter reading was taken at the meeting between Gurung and the meter readers at Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan in Darjeeling. A spot meter reader, who was present at the meeting, said earlier, they were employed as couriers and the job was only to despatch the electricity bills.

"We were being paid Rs 2 for every bill we deliver. However, since November 2014, we have been appointed as spot meter readers and are being paid Rs 9.50 for every meter reading. However, this is an outsourced work and the WBEDCL pays the contractor Rs 16.67 for every meter reading. This is unfair."

The WBEDCL has outsourced the spot meter reading to the Bangalore-based BCITS Private Limited in Darjeeling subdivision, Hyderbad-based CSS Technoenergy Ltd for Kurseong subdivision and Calcutta-based Emdee Ltd for Kalimpong subdivision.

Another spot reader said: "These companies have employed around 250 spot meter readers across the hills and an individual is expected to cover 3,900 households (in a quarter). Sometimes this is not possible and we have to hire people and pay them from the Rs 9.50 that we get from the company."

Sibesh Deb, regional manager (Darjeeling region), WBEDCL, refused to comment on the issue raised by the spot meter readers. "We have contracted the works to various companies for a particular sum. We cannot comment on what these companies are paying their employees as this is a matter between the companies and their employees."

Told about the allegation that public was being inconvenienced for no fault of theirs, Deb said: "This might be true in one or two cases. Nevertheless, we have opened help desk and are trying to address the grievances of the public."

The WBEDCL regional manager also denied charges that the outstanding dues incurred during the agitation period were being charged.

Told about the grievances regarding sharing of electricity, Deb said that this was for the higher authorities to decide.