AGSU protests Assam power tariff hike, warns of wider agitation

The All Guwahati Students' Union (AGSU) held demonstrations across Assam on Saturday, November 7, against a fresh rise in electricity charges and what it said were steadily climbing prices of essential goods.

In Guwahati, AGSU president Kamal Mahanta said commodity prices were going up every day and questioned the government's claim to work in the public interest while power charges were being raised again. He said the protest would continue until the electricity hikes were withdrawn and that the union was prepared to intensify the agitation if that did not happen, The News Mill reported, carrying his remarks to ANI.

Why bills are going up

The protests follow a decision that allows the Assam Power Distribution Company Limited (APDCL) to recover unpaid Fuel and Power Purchase Price Adjustment (FPPPA) charges. NEInsider earlier reported that the Assam Electricity Regulatory Commission (AERC) permitted APDCL to recover about Rs 155.59 crore over November 2026 to March 2027. ANI reports put the accumulated surcharge at about Rs 155.59 crore to Rs 160 crore.

According to The News Mill, quoting the same agency copy, domestic and low-tension consumers face a rise of 5 paise to 30 paise a unit from November, to be collected in stages through March. Demonstrators also objected to the wide use of smart prepaid meters, saying these had led to higher bills for household consumers.

What the government says

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and power officials have described the change as a temporary step to recover earlier generation and fuel costs, not a lasting rewrite of the tariff. They said the surcharge would fall away on its own once APDCL has recovered the unpaid power-purchase expenses. Officials also said FPPPA adjustments are a regular regulatory tool tied to changing fuel costs on the national grid.

NEInsider's earlier report noted that AERC did not adopt APDCL's suggested month-by-month recovery schedule or a proposed 5-paise concession for some domestic users, and instead left APDCL some flexibility on how to collect the amount.

Protests beyond Guwahati

The News Mill, again citing ANI, said the agitation had spread to Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Baksa and Lakhimpur, where units of the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) burned effigies of the Power Department and held rallies outside district electricity offices. Student leaders said they would step up the protests unless the state offered immediate relief to consumers.

AGSU has tied the power surcharge to a wider complaint about the cost of living. The government maintains that the extra charge is time-bound and will not stay once the old fuel bill is cleared. NEInsider will update this story if the state announces any relief, or if the student groups set out further protest plans.