Vadodara, May 27 (IANS): Vadodara residents on Monday protested over the installation of smart meters at the Akota office of Madhya Gujarat Vij Corporation Limited (MGVCL).

The protesters were demanding the removal of newly installed smart electricity meters.

MGVCL has rolled out 25,000 smart meters across Vadodara, but many users have reported exorbitant charges and technical issues with the smart meters. Residents have also complained that their prepaid amount of Rs 2,000 was depleted within a week.

Rahish, a resident of Subhanpura living in a rented house, received a message from MGVCL stating his bill was Rs 9.24 lakh.

The residents from Parvati Nagar in the Akshar Chowk area also gathered at the Vij office, raising slogans against the electricity MGVCL.

A resident Aashish said: "I recharged Rs 2300 and it was used up in 10 days. This is unaffordable. Before, our bill was Rs 3,000. During the summer, it was Rs 10,000 per month. Smart meters should be affordable for everyone. The bill fluctuates wildly. What is wrong with the old meters, we don't need new ones."

A woman from Parvati Nagar said that they need the old meters back. “These new meters are too costly. We weren’t informed about their installation. If we had known, we would have objected. After being without power for two days, we were told to recharge the smart meter. We can't afford these bills.”