India, May 5 -- LUCKNOW Bowing to mounting statewide protests, the UP government's decision to convert all smart prepaid electricity meters to postpaid and that all new electricity connections will be issued only with postpaid meters has effectively replaced one mandate with another, once again leaving consumers without the option to choose their billing preference.

The decision is being seen as a knee-jerk response to mounting public pressure, but it has triggered a fresh debate over consumer choice.

Till recently, the UP Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) had been publicly highlighting multiple benefits of prepaid electricity connections for consumers. However, widespread protests against prepaid meters reported from across the state a...