Vasai | September 8, 2026
Political parties and citizen organisations in Vasai-Virar held a protest march at a Mahavitaran office on Monday, alleging that residents have received sharply higher electricity bills after the installation of smart meters. Protesters demanded that the meters be withdrawn and warned of intensified demonstrations after the Ganesh festival.
According to the report by Loksatta – Vasai-Virar, residents claimed that monthly bills that previously ranged between ₹700 and ₹1,000 had risen to between ₹3,000 and ₹5,000 in some cases. Protesters attributed the increase to electricity charges, fixed charges and other fees, alleging that bills had risen by one-and-a-half to two times. These claims were made by the protesters and were not independently substantiated in the report.
The demonstration brought together representatives and supporters 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. Protesters also alleged that old meters were being replaced without adequate prior notice or consumer consent.
Speakers at the protest raised concerns about the effect of higher bills on low-income households, including families dependent on daily-wage work and domestic labour. They also questioned the rollout of smart meters while, they said, parts of Vasai-Virar continued to experience frequent power cuts. Protesters claimed that outages occurred eight to 10 times a day in some areas and called for improvements to the electricity distribution network before further emphasis on smart-meter installation.
Shiv Sena leader and former legislator Vilas Potnis alleged that the smart-meter programme was intended to benefit the Adani group and accused officials of misleading consumers. The report presented this as an allegation made during the protest. Sushant Patil, president of the Bhumiputra organisation, said consumer rights needed to be protected and that reliable electricity supply should accompany any meter modernisation programme.
Protesters burned electricity bills during the demonstration as a symbolic expression of opposition to Mahavitaran’s handling of the issue. Mahavitaran superintendent engineer Manik Rathod accepted the memorandum submitted by the protesters and said their demands would be forwarded to senior officials, according to the report.
Vasai-Virar mayor Ajiv Patil said the administration had received numerous complaints about smart meters and called for their cancellation. He warned that a larger agitation would be launched after the Ganesh festival and would continue until the meters were completely removed. The report did not include a detailed response from Mahavitaran on the alleged bill increases, installation procedures or the frequency of outages.
