OP: Groom leads his wedding procession in protest against the installation of smart meters

Banda, In an unusual protest, a groom in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda district on Monday staged a protest along with his wedding procession against the installation of smart meters, alleging that the power department received arbitrary billing.

Wearing traditional wedding headgear, Kuldeep Kumar, a resident of Ujrehata village, reached the historic Ashok Lott intersection in Banda district headquarters with around a hundred members of his wedding procession.

At first, onlookers believed that it was a regular procession, but soon the groom and the ‘baratis’ started raising slogans to the beat of a band and marched towards the collector.

Speaking to reporters outside the district magistrate’s office, Kumar said he was handed an inflated electricity bill based on a smart meter by power department employees during the march, along with a warning that his electricity connection would be disconnected if the bill was not paid.

He claimed a smart meter was forcibly installed at his home after he removed the conventional meter, resulting in higher bills than before. Despite filing several complaints for its removal, no official heeded, he claimed.

Later, led by Bundelkhand Insaf Sena chief AS Nomani, the groom and his supporters submitted a memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by the district magistrate, after which the wedding procession continued.

Meanwhile, state energy minister AK Sharma stressed that efforts are on to resolve smart meter related issues on war footing, according to a statement issued in Lucknow on Sunday.

“A provision has been implemented for smart meter consumers that even in the case of zero balance, electricity supply will not be interrupted for a maximum of 3 days or up to ₹200, so that consumers can get relief,” he said, adding that measures are being taken to ensure speedy redressal of public grievances.

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