Amidst growing outrage and controversy over smart prepaid meters in UP, the Yogi government has given major relief to 70 lakh electricity consumers. The prepaid system has been discontinued in the state.
Now all smart meters will function like postpaid meters. This means the prepaid system (recharge first) arrangement is being eliminated.
Consumers will again receive monthly bills. The facility to deposit arrears in installments will also be provided. The Energy Minister has given instructions that electricity should not be disconnected within a month under any circumstances, and complaints should be resolved on priority.
Energy Minister AK Sharma said,
The customer is God. This decision has been taken keeping in view technical difficulties and consumer complaints, so that people can get relief.
Smart meters have been facing opposition in the state for several months. On April 25, the Energy Minister had said that electricity would not be disconnected for connections up to 1 kilowatt for 30 days and for 2 kilowatts even after a deduction of ₹200. Even after this, people’s anger did not subside.
On Sunday, women took to the streets in several cities, including Agra, Firozabad, and Fatehpur. They uprooted meters from homes and threw them at the electricity department offices. SP and Aam Aadmi Party also held demonstrations.
Energy Minister AK Sharma held a meeting with electricity department officials on Monday evening.
On Monday, Energy Minister AK Sharma held an important meeting with electricity department officials at Shakti Bhawan. He discussed the ongoing protests in the state with the officials. Considering the problems arising from smart/prepaid meters, Minister Sharma said,
I had said earlier that consumers will not have to face any trouble. Now all smart meters in the state will function like normal post-paid meters. The system called pre-paid has been completely abolished.
These decisions were taken
- Now the meter will not be prepaid, but will operate entirely in post-paid mode.
- Monthly bills will come in the old manner. Bills from the 1st to the 30th of the month will be sent via SMS or WhatsApp within the next 10 days.
- After receiving the bill, it must be paid within the given time limit.
- Update your phone number for the electricity department messages.
- Under no circumstances will the electricity connection be disconnected within the month.
- If there are old dues, a facility will be provided to pay them in 10 easy installments.
- The work of replacing old meters with smart prepaid meters has been suspended.
- Priority will be given to immediately resolve complaints related to recently installed smart meters.
Protests were held in districts on Sunday regarding smart meters.
Why did the govt have to discontinue the prepaid system?
Electricity consumers say that smart meters run very fast. This results in higher bills even with less usage. Sometimes the balance decreases even without usage. As soon as the balance goes into minus, the electricity supply gets disconnected. Even after a recharge, the supply is often not restored immediately.
On Sunday, protests were held in Agra, Prayagraj, Kanpur, Lucknow, Fatehpur, and Varanasi regarding smart meters. In Fatehpur, electricity consumers uprooted smart meters and threw them at the power house.
In Agra, women uprooted smart meters from their homes and threw them on the streets. They said, ” We don’t want smart meters, we want the old meters”. Since the installation of smart meters, electricity bills have been getting higher.
Money is being deposited in advance. Even after depositing money, electricity is being cut. When inquired, they say the balance is in minus. A protest had taken place here three days ago as well.
Scuffle with police in Lucknow In Lucknow, the AAP party held a strong protest. AAP workers reached Shakti Bhavan carrying posters and placards in their hands. They started moving towards the Assembly while raising slogans against the BJP government. The police stopped the protesters near Shriram Tower.
The protesters insisted on moving forward. This led to a sharp confrontation with the police. The police took them into custody. They were dragged and put into vehicles and taken to Eco Garden.
Pratipal Singh, who participated in the protest, has alleged that his turban was pulled off to humiliate him.
Smart meters uprooted and thrown on the road in Chhaleser village of Agra.
Women protested regarding smart meters in Kanpur.
Aam Aadmi Party protested regarding smart meters in Varanasi.
Police dragged away Aam Aadmi Party workers in Lucknow.
AAP spokesperson in Varanasi said will continue to protest Aam Aadmi Party had staged a protest against smart meters at the Chaukaghat electricity substation in Varanasi. Spokesperson Mukesh Singh had said that common people are being harassed by smart meters.
We will continue to protest against it at all costs. Because its bill is being taken arbitrarily. The government should stop it immediately, because it is cheating people in a smart way.
