BJD Student, Youth wing staged protest march against Tata Power’s Additional Security Deposit(ASD) and installation of Smart Meters -Demanaded roll back of electricity tariffs
BJD Student, Youth wing staged protest march
against Tata Power’s Additional Security Deposit(ASD) and
installation of Smart Meters
-Demanaded roll back of electricity tariffs
BHIBANESWAR
DECEMBER 18, 2025
The Student and Youth wing of Opppsition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Thursday staged a massive protest before the energy distribution company
Tata Power (TPCODL) office at Power House Square in Bhubaneswar demanding immediate roll back of proposed ASD.
The demonstration was lead of Biju Yuva Janata Dal president Chinmay Sahu and Chhatra
Janata Dal president Ipsita Sahu.
While demanding the decision be immediately withdrawn, they described the notice issued by TPCODL to collect an Additional Security Deposit (ASD) from consumers has imposed an unfair
financial burden on the public.
They also protested on the streets by breaking smart meters in symbolic opposition.
The BJD laeders demanded that the excess electricity charges collected from crores of consumers in Odisha at rates higher than the national average be immediately refunded along with interest.
Citing the precedent of the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission’s decision to ensure such refunds, the BJD urged the Odisha Electricity Regulatory Commission to take similar action.
“Due to supply related losses, electricity consumers in Odisha are forced to bear extra costs. The inefficiency and corruption of Tata Power have led to transmission and distribution losses in the State far exceeding the national norm”, said student leader Ipsita Sahu.
She further added that, even though many consumers already had functional meters, Tata Power forcibly replaced them with smart meters, which is unjustified and because of these smart meters, consumers are being billed excessively.
The BJD leadership warned that if this economic exploitation continues and the anti people practices are not stopped immediately, the party would intensify its agitation against Tata Power in the coming days.
Prominent among the leaders who participated in the protest were former Ministers Devi Prasad
Mishra, Sanjay Kumar Das Burma, Ashok Chandra Panda, Atanu Sabyasachi
Nayak and Pritiranjan Ghadei, MLA Sushant Rout, Ex. MLA Pranab Balabantray, Rajendra Sahoo and
Snehangini Chhuria, Cuttack Mayor Subash Singh and other leaders.
