Guwahati, Aug 23 (IANS): A day after Opposition parties in the Assembly raised the issue of inflated power bills being raised by the smart electric meters installed in Assam households, Minister of Social Justice & Empowerment, Pijush Hazarika refuted the charges and challenged the MLAs to prove the accusations.

Pijush Hazarika said on Friday, “The power department has been installing smart electric meters in households for the last one year. There have not been major complaints from the general public. Power bills always go high in the summer and this has happened this time also. This does not mean the new meters are giving inflated bills.”

The Opposition leaders have been stating that the inflated power bills are causing distress to the citizens and asking for the removal of the smart meters while the Assam government has refuted this.

Sivasagar MLA Akhil Gogoi contended, “The state government is harassing people by collecting higher power bills through smart electric meters. We oppose installation of such meters in the households and urge the state government to roll back its decision in this regard.”

The Congress and other Opposition party leaders also protested in the Assembly against the smart prepaid meters on Thursday.

Throwing a challenge to the Opposition leaders on Friday, Pijush Hazarika advised the MLAs to install two meters side-by-side for a month in their residences and check for any discrepancy in the power bills.

“I request all the members of the Assembly to install two meters — one smart and one conventional meter for a month in their residences. Let them compare the power bills for one month. If they find any inflated readings in the smart electric meters, we will uninstall those meters from households in the state,” Hazarika said.