Visakhapatnam: electricity meter readers stage dharna at EPDCL corporate office

They seek abolition of ‘piece-rate’ system of payment

Electricity meter readers, owing allegiance to the APEPDCL Meter Readers Union, staged a dharna, demanding a solution to their problems, at the Main Gate of the EPDCL Corporate Office at Seethammadhara here on Friday.

Addressing the protesting meter readers, CITU city general secretary R.K.S.V. Kumar demanded that the ‘piece-rate’ system of payment be abolished and their services be utilised in other departments, on completion of their spot billing work for the month. They should be paid monthly wages like other electricity workers, he said.

He also sought that the proposal to reduce the spot billing work from 15 days to eight days a month should be reviewed as it would cause financial problems to the meter readers. He recalled that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had assured during the first meeting of the Assembly that justice would be done to the meter readers. He alleged that the Discom managements were doing injustice to the meter readers.

On December 22, 2021, the then Minister for Power Balineni Srinivasa Reddy had assured the meter readers, in presence of the CMD s of EPDCL, SPDCL and CPDCL, that their problems would be addressed. He said that the meter readers were working as assistants to Linemen in the repair of power lines and meter changes, after completing their ‘spot billing’ work for the month.

Union leaders L. Ramakrishna, K.N.D.S.K. Reddy, district secretary V. Srinivas (Vizag) and district presidents O. Srinivasa Rao (West Godavari), P. Nagababu (East Godavari), N. Srinivasa Rao (Vizianagaram) and R. Kumaraswamy (Srikakulam) and general secretary J.P. Bushan Reddy were among those who participated in the protest.