Smart meter project faces protest
Arjun Sharma
Jammu, August 12
The project to install smart meters in Jammu and Kashmir is being opposed not only by opposition parties but also from BJP leaders. The administration plans to cover nearly 20 lakh consumers in J&K under the smart meter programme. At present, the installation of two lakh smart meters is under way and four lakh more meters will be installed under the revamped distribution sector scheme.
JPDCL seeks public support
- Amid ongoing protests, Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd has dispelled fears of overcharging. It has sought cooperation of people.
- Chief Engineer (Distribution) Sandeep Seth says the smart meters are for the benefit of the public as these are highly accurate for billing.
Protests are being organised, claiming that people from the unprivileged section wouldn’t be able to make their both ends meet if they spend their earnings on power bills.
BJP leader and former minister Sham Lal Sharma said the administration should take senior officials, elected representatives, heads of various social and political organisations on board to find an amicable way to meet the aspirations of the electricity consumers.
Recently, local residents blocked a road during a protest in the Eidgah area of Srinagar. The DPAP recently held a protest, warning that it would call Jammu bandh if the J&K Power Development Department (PDD) didn’t stop the process.
Officials said six lakh smart pre-paid meters would be installed (three lakh each in Jammu and Kashmir divisions) for preventing human intervention in bill collection and subsequent reduction in aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses.
Last year, the Central Government sanctioned Rs 1046.71 crore for the project in Jammu and Kashmir .
Arun Gupta, president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has demanded a rollback of installation of these meters. Chamber members recently met Shiv Anand Tayal, MD of the Jammu Power Development Corporation Limited (JPDCL), and urged him to stop the smart meter project till the complaints of excess billing is sorted out.
A senior official of the PDD said smart metering was a pan-India project necessary to curb power theft.
