VASAI | September 8, 2026 — An all-party protest was held outside the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (Mahavitaran) office in Vasai on Monday over alleged sharp increases in household electricity bills following the installation of smart meters. Protesters demanded that the meters be withdrawn and warned of a larger mobilisation after the Ganesh festival if their concerns are not addressed.
Residents and political representatives alleged that families who previously received monthly bills of about Rs 700 to Rs 1,000 were now receiving bills ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000. Protesters also claimed that electricity charges, fixed charges and other levies had resulted in bills that were between 1.5 and two times higher for some consumers.
The claims were made during a march involving representatives of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Congress, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Nationalist Congress Party, Republican Party of India, Samajwadi Party and Lal Bavta, along with social organisations. Residents alleged that old meters were being removed and smart meters installed without adequate prior notice or consumer consent.
The protest also focused on the reliability of electricity supply in Vasai-Virar. Protesters said some parts of the city faced power interruptions eight to 10 times a day and argued that the distribution network should first be improved before the authorities insist on smart-meter adoption. They said higher bills were placing particular pressure on low-income households dependent on daily wages and domestic work.
Shiv Sena leader and former legislator Vilas Potnis alleged that the smart-meter rollout was intended to benefit the Adani group financially. The allegation was made during the protest and was not independently established in the report. Sushant Patil, president of the Bhumiputra organisation, said consumer rights should be protected and that a smart meter would have little value if electricity supply remained unreliable.
Protesters burned copies of electricity bills as a symbolic demonstration against Mahavitaran’s operations. Superintendent Engineer Manik Rathod accepted the memorandum submitted by the demonstrators and said the demands would be forwarded to senior officials for consideration.
Vasai Mayor Ajiv Patil said the administration had received numerous complaints about smart meters and described the devices as smart only in name. He demanded that the meters be cancelled in the interest of consumers and warned that the parties involved would organise what he described as their biggest protest so far after Ganeshotsav. He said the demonstrations would continue until the smart meters were completely removed.
The report did not include Mahavitaran’s detailed response to the allegations about billing calculations, installation procedures, consumer consent or the proposed timeline for addressing the complaints. The next formal step identified by the utility was the forwarding of the protesters’ memorandum to senior officials.
