The Goa government’s aggressive push to impose smart electricity meters on consumers has now landed under the scanner of the Goa Hu man Rights Commission (GHRC), which has ob served that the ‘mandato ry’ rollout prima facie rais es concerns of violation of human rights. Acting suo motu on an O Heraldo report published on May 9 under the head line “Govt’s ‘mandatory’ smart meter push sparks revolt,” the two-member Commission on May 11 issued notice to the Chief Electrical Engineer of the Electricity Department, seeking a detailed report and reply by June 2. The development marks a major embarrassment for the State government, which has come under fire for allegedly attempting to bulldoze consumers into accepting smart prepaid meters despite mounting objections from citizens, activists and consumer groups.
The controversy erupted after Power Minister Sudin Dhavalikar and Electricity Department Superinten dent Engineer and Smart Meter Nodal Officer Mayur Hede publicly declared that installation of smart meters was “mandatory” — a claim strongly disputed by con sumer rights groups, who insist there is no legal basis to force the scheme on the public without consent. The backlash intensified after Citizens for Democ racy convenor Elvis Gomes pointed to a statement made in the Lok Sabha on April 2 by Union Power Min ister Manohar Lal Khattar. Khattar reportedly clarified that smart prepaid electric ity meters are optional and cannot be compulsorily im posed on consumers. Activists have accused the government of concealing the true nature of the scheme while pushing a corporate-driv en model that could fundamentally alter how citizens ac cess electricity. Welcoming the GHRC’s intervention, Gomes alleged that the implementation process itself had become coercive and legally questionable. “The manner in which personnel from private contractor Digi Smart were going about it was simply unacceptable. The current implementation strategy by the Power Depart ment was beyond the scope of law which classifies these upgrades as optional.
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Again, the scheme is built upon pre paid meters that is ‘pay and use’,” Gomes said. He further accused the government of misleading con sumers by offering contradictory assurances. “The Power Minister is confusing the people by stating that ‘post-paid’ meters can be opted for. It is a contradic tion of the scheme’s fundamental ‘pre-paid’ design. We continue to advocate for informed consent,” Gomes said. The GHRC’s intervention has now amplified questions the government has so far failed to convincingly answer: If the Centre itself considers smart prepaid meters option al, on what authority is Goa branding them as mandatory? And why was a rights commission compelled to step in?
