Fed up with smart meters, Over 6,000 power consumers say no to power’
As many as 6,615 power consumers using smart meters have got their electricity connections snapped permanently till April 2021 even as the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) plans to install smart meters in all consumers’ houses
As many as 6,615 power consumers using smart meters have got their electricity connections snapped permanently till April 2021 even as the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) plans to install smart meters in all consumers’ houses.
“As many as 1,440 smart meter consumers opted for disconnection of their electricity connection in December 2020 and this number rose to 6,615 till April end this year,” people dealing with the issue said.
{{/usCountry}}“As many as 1,440 smart meter consumers opted for disconnection of their electricity connection in December 2020 and this number rose to 6,615 till April end this year,” people dealing with the issue said.
{{/usCountry}}“Among them 1,320 are in Lucknow, 782 in Mathura, 542 in Varanasi, 1409 in Meerut, 136 in Allahabad, 112 in Gorakhpur, 233 in Bareilly and 1,205 in Kanpur,” they added.
Smart meters have courted controversies in UP with energy minister Shrikant Sharma himself having raised questions over their quality and functioning from time to time.
UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Avadhesh Kumar Verma said that more and more smart meter consumers were opting for snapping of their power connections because of the harassment they face on account of smart meters.
He said at a time when the Central government was planning 100% coverage of consumers with prepaid meters by 2024, power consumers were anxious to get rid of smart meters and this was a serious issue.
{{/usCountry}}He said at a time when the Central government was planning 100% coverage of consumers with prepaid meters by 2024, power consumers were anxious to get rid of smart meters and this was a serious issue.
{{/usCountry}}“Today, I have a discussion over phone with Union power secretary Alok Kumar and I urged him to ensure that prepaid meters that the Centre was planning to install were not based on the same technology because this was necessary to win consumers’ trust otherwise the project would not succeed,” said Verma, who is also state advisory committee member.