Lucknow, Jan. 2 -- In a major relief for power consumers, the Uttar Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has approved the Cost Data Book, lowering rates for new power connections and doing away with the long-standing estimate-based system for most households. Under the earlier system, consumers whose houses were located more than 40 metres from an electricity pole were required to pay estimates that included the cost of poles, transformers and related infrastructure-often running into thousands of rupees. The new Cost Data Book replaces this with a simplified slab-based model. UPERC has divided connection distances into three slabs: up to 100 metres, 101 to 300 metres, and beyond 300 metres. For buildings located within 300 metres of the distribution network, connections of up to 150 kW can now be obtained by paying a fixed amount, without any estimate. Estimates will be prepared only for connections where the distance exceeds 300 metres. A domestic consumer seeking a 2 kW connection within 100 metres will now have to pay just Rs 5,500 as a one-time charge. For distances up to 300 metres, the connection can be obtained by paying Rs 7,555. Earlier, such consumers often had to bear heavy expenses for poles, transformers and other infrastructure. The Commission has also fixed rates for smart prepaid meters for the first time. A single-phase smart prepaid meter will now cost Rs 2,800, while a three-phase meter has been priced at Rs 4,100. Until now, consumers were being charged Rs 6,016 for single-phase and Rs 11,342 for three-phase meters. Proposals to fix meter prices above Rs 8,000 were rejected by the Commission. Consumers living below the poverty line will be allowed to pay meter charges in 24 equal instalments. Officials of UPPCL said that the UPERC move has made power connections easier for the consumers and the say of engineers, who used to hold connections for months in the name of estimates, has been reduced....