Ludhiana, Feb. 23 -- PSPCL's smart meter installation drive, launched to tighten the noose on power theft, fix electricity irregularities and ensure accurate billing, is struggling to gain traction even after four years into the project. Despite being part of the Union ministry of power's plan to convert all electricity meters into smart ones by 2022, the initiative has fallen significantly behind schedule. More than three years past the initial deadline, only 14.6% of the city's consumers have been covered, highlighting the sluggish progress of the project.

According to data, only 2,09,000 smart meters have been installed out of the total 14.3 lakh connections in Ludhiana. In urban areas, where there are 7.6 lakh electricity connections...