LUCKNOW, April 22 -- More than a month after their connections were snapped over recharge arrears worth Rs.1,366.62 crore, a staggering 9,77,722 electricity consumers across Uttar Pradesh remain disconnected from the power grid, according to the latest data from Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) compiled till April 18, 2026. At a statewide review meeting on Tuesday, UPPCL chairman Ashish Kumar Goyal directed officials to persuade consumers to recharge their meters to restore power supply. "We have asked field officials to extend help to consumers and persuade them to recharge their prepaid meters, whose supply was snapped a month ago and remains disconnected," UPPCL director (commercial) Prashant Verma said, adding that officials have been instructed not to force consumers into recharging. The figures paint a troubling picture of the prepaid smart meter rollout. Of the 50,13,175 consumers disconnected in mid-March, nearly one in five (19.5%) remain without power - unable or unwilling to restore their connections despite the system's recharge-based model. The Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PuVVNL) region has emerged as the worst hit. Of the 13,29,367 consumers disconnected in its jurisdiction, 3,89,329 remain without power - the highest among all discoms. The region processed 9,40,038 recharges worth Rs.352.92 crore, yet the backlog shows little sign of easing. Compounding PuVVNL's troubles is a mounting financial burden: disconnected consumers carry a prepaid negative balance of Rs.184.01 crore and post-paid arrears of Rs.1,063.92 crore - the hig-hest legacy dues among all discoms. The Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) reports 2,56,560 consumers still disconnected out of 11,99,165. The region recorded 9,42,605 recharges totalling Rs.321.55 crore, while carrying Rs.82.85 crore in prepaid negative balance and Rs.367.10 crore in post-paid arrears. The Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MVVNL) has 2,05,654 consumers still without power out of 10,97,480 disconnections. It recorded 8,91,826 recharges worth Rs.294.79 crore, with Rs.169.27 crore in prepaid negative balance and Rs.401.94 crore in post-paid arrears. The Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) logged the highest recharge value - Rs.373.14 crore from 11,94,568 recharges - yet 1,19,370 of its 13,13,938 disconnected consumers remain offline. It carries Rs.44.41 crore in prepaid negative balance and Rs.83.19 crore in post-paid arrears. The Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESCo), the smallest discom by volume, reports 6,809 consumers still disconnected out of 73,225. Notably, it has zero post-paid arrears from disconnected consumers, though Rs.24.13 crore remains in prepaid negative balance. The negative balance puzzle The disconnection crisis coincides with a broader negative balance issue among active prepaid consumers. According to UPPCL's prepaid consumer analysis till April 18, 2026, as many as 21,92,771 consumers are operating with negative balances, with total dues of Rs.636.14 crore. Before the mass disconnection drive in March, arrears stood at over Rs.900 crore. Roughly 27% of prepaid consumers statewide are in negative balance, with KESCo topping the ratio at 38%, followed by MVVNL at 30%, and PVVNL and PuVVNL at 27% each. DVVNL fares comparatively better at 23%. PuVVNL alone accounts for 37% of the total negative dues, followed by PVVNL (25%), MVVNL (19%), DVVNL (16%), and KESCo (2%). "With 82,07,245 smart meters installed across UPPCL and 81,16,125 prepaid consumers active in the RMS system, nearly 12% of prepaid consumers are either disconnected or running on negative balances. This indicates that the prepaid model, despite aggressive rollout, is facing significant consumer-side friction," a senior UPPCL official said. "The possibility that some disconnected consumers may be illegally drawing power without recharging cannot be ruled out," the official added....