Agartala, July 15: Power Minister Ratan Lal Nath on Monday accused the opposition of deliberately misleading the people of Tripura regarding the installation of smart electric meters. Addressing a press conference at the BJP party office, Nath clarified that electricity tariffs and the installation of smart meters are entirely separate matters.

He further alleged that the Left Front government, which earlier privatized electricity in the state by transferring it from government control to a corporation, was responsible for a steep 116% hike in electricity tariffs during their last seven years in power.

“In comparison, the present BJP government has only increased electricity bills by 24.9% over the past seven years,” Nath said. He added that the government had also given a 2.38% rebate on electricity bills in 2023 for the benefit of consumers.

The minister reiterated that smart meters are being introduced to improve transparency, efficiency, and accuracy in electricity usage and billing, dismissing the opposition’s campaign against them as politically motivated.