Smart Meter in Uttar Pradesh : Lucknow : The process of replacing old electricity meters with smart prepaid meters has been stopped in Uttar Pradesh. This has created a lot of dissatisfaction among the citizens. The decision came into force with immediate effect on Saturday and will remain in force till the inquiry committee submits its report. Under the central government’s RDSS scheme, the conventional meters installed at consumers’ homes are replaced with smart meters (Smart Meter) was being installed. However, there were complaints that in many cases these meters were being converted to prepaid mode without the consent of consumers, which led to controversy.
An inquiry was ordered by Chief Minister Yogi
After questioning the quality of smart meters, the matter reached Yogi Adityanath, who ordered an inquiry. After this, the Power Corporation constituted a four-member expert committee and asked it to submit its report within 10 days.
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Additional Chief Secretary of Energy Department and Chairman of Power Corporation Dr. According to Ashish Goyal, the replacement of old meters will be completely stopped until the report of the committee is received. An estimated Rs 27,000 crore is being spent on this scheme, but the burden is not directly passed on to consumers. But citizens are alleging that the electricity bills are getting higher due to smart meters. This often leads to disputes between the electricity distribution staff and consumers. Due to this, an important decision has been taken by the Yogi government.
There is no relief for those who want to take up new connections
However, this relief will not be applicable to those who want to get new electricity connection. New connections will be provided only in prepaid mode with smart meters. However, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar recently told the Lok Sabha that the choice of prepaid or postpaid mode should be at the discretion of the customer.
It is to be noted that there were frequent complaints regarding smart prepaid meters, which forced the Chief Minister to take a stern stance. After this, an inquiry committee has been set up, which will review the quality based on the technical test.
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Around 85 lakh smart meters have been installed in the state so far, out of which more than 70 lakh meters operate on prepaid mode. Consumer complaints about these prepaid meters have been there for a long time, which has led to this decision.
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