PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
Uttarakhand Power Corporation Limited (UPCL) has resumed the process of installation of smart meters in the State. In view of the special mega camps organised in all parts of the State, the corporation had recently suspended the process of installation of new meters. The order to resume installation of the smart meters in the State was given by director (Operation) MR Arya on Tuesday. The corporation had organised special mega camps in view of the complaints received from consumers and public representatives against the smart meters. The corporation is also focussing on the work of replacing faulty meters with the smart meters. There are an estimated 20,000 faulty meters in the State.
Pertinently, the UPCL has taken a target to replace existing meters of 15,88,000 consumers in the State with smart meters till June 2026. The distribution corporation also intends to install smart meters on 59,212 transformers and 2602 feeders across the State. The smart meter project is a national programme funded by the revamped distribution sector scheme (RDSS) of the government of India.
The UPCL claims that these meters will bring in a dramatic reduction in the consumer complaints regarding meter reading and billing.
As per the officials, the smart meter is a very advanced device the control of which is in the hands of the consumer. It provides minute to minute information about power usage. It will also remove human interference in the billing process. The fault complaints will be auto generated and they will be addressed early. These meters provide the option of both prepaid and postpaid billing systems to the consumers. The smart meter can be recharged with a mobile App and the consumer can know about the power usage on a real time basis.
