CPI(M) seeks judicial probe into agricultural smart meter payments

CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao and secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao addressing the media in Vijayawada on Sunday. | Photo Credit: K.V.S. Giri The Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao has demanded a judicial inquiry into payments of nearly ₹2,500 crore made in connection with the agricultural smart meter project and sought recovery of any amount found to have been paid illegally.Addressing a press conference at the M.B. Vignana Kendram here on Sunday along with party State secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said the three power distribution companies had together paid nearly ₹2,500 crore towards meters, allied equipment, software and other components of the project.Separately, he alleged that the previous YSR Congress Party government had paid around ₹1,800 crore to Shirdi Sai Electricals before the meters were installed, while the present coalition government had paid ₹764 crore as compensation for terminating the contract.He questioned the termination payment, saying it was made without the approval of the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) and without a public hearing. He demanded that the termination agreement, details of all payments and the basis on which the compensation was fixed be made public.The agricultural smart meter project had faced strong opposition from farmers’ organisations, following which the installation was put on hold, Mr. Srinivasa Rao said. He recalled that TDP leaders had opposed the project while in the Opposition and had approached the High Court.He said the financial burden of the project would ultimately be passed on to consumers. While similar meters cost ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 in some other States, the expenditure in Andhra Pradesh was more than ₹34,000 per meter, he claimed.Mr. Babu Rao questioned the decision to pay ₹764 crore for terminating the Shirdi Sai Electricals contract when the project had earlier been challenged in the High Court.Probe sought into deaths of three tribal girlsMr. Srinivasa Rao also sought a high-level inquiry into the deaths of three girls in the Chintur subdivision of Polavaram district within a short period.At Gollagutta village in Etapaka mandal, nearly 40 people were hospitalised after consuming anti-malaria tablets distributed by the government, with a girl named Jamuna subsequently dying. Another girl, Roja, had died earlier in the same village, while a student in Kunavaram mandal died after suffering from vomiting five days ago.He demanded that the circumstances and causes of all three deaths be established and that ₹25 lakh compensation be paid to each family. The ₹5 lakh assistance announced for the family of Jahnavi following public pressure had not yet been released, he said.The CPI(M) leader called for medical camps to be organised in every affected village, nutritional support to be provided and immediate preventive measures to be taken against malaria. Published - September 06, 2026 06:57 pm IST