Kolkata, June 10 -- Following protests in several districts in the past few days, the Mamata Banerjee government has ordered a halt to the installation of smart electricity meters in private residences, prioritising the public interest.
Widespread protests were reported after smart electric meters were installed in several districts. Concerns were raised during a recent Cabinet meeting and the matter was drawn to the notice of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. State Power minister Aroop Biswas briefed the Chief Minister on the issue.
The state government had earlier launched installations of smart meters in select zones of South 24-Parganas, North 24-Parganas, Burdwan, Bankura etc.
Experts have, however, pointed out that these modern meters were already in use in cities like Delhi and Mumbai. According to the experts, the smart meters can help consumers control electricity consumption and reduce costs and they would get a daily update about the consumption and other relevant information only by entering the power department's App.
But protests broke out in several places where consumers alleged that after the introduction of smart meters, their bills have gone up disproportionately.
Many consumers claimed their electricity bills had gone up two times or three times immediately after the new smart meters were installed. This invariably led to protests.
Following the agitations by the consumers in some parts, the state government has decided to stop the installation of smart meters for the time being.
The state Power department on Monday issued an official notification, stating that installation of smart meters in residences will remain temporarily suspended.
However, the technology will continue to be used in commercial establishments, government offices, and telecom towers where it has already been successfully implemented.
Experts in the field have however suggested that smart meters offer benefits similar to prepaid mobile recharge systems, with accurate billing, in-house display units for real-time power consumption updates, and remote-control features through mobile apps.
In case of smart meters, the consumers would also receive timely usage alerts and enjoy a 300-rupee buffer even after prepaid credit runs out. Despite these advantages, the state government has decided to pause installations in private houses considering public grievances.
The state may also carry out a detailed review into the issue. Sources in the state government said that continuous surveillance and public consultations will be carried out in case of any future rollout.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.