LUCKNOW, Feb. 26 -- Despite intensifying protests by power employees over what unions describe as a dilution of long-standing service benefits, the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) has crossed the halfway mark in installing prepaid smart meters at employees' residences under the LMV-10 category. Official data shows 30,247 meters have been installed against 58,462 employee and pensioner connections, taking overall coverage to 51.74%. In July last year, UPPCL announced to install meters on all power connections of its employees under the LMV-10 category. According to officials, the original deadline to cover all employees and pensioners was December 31, which has now been extended to February 28. A senior official admitted installation teams were often unable to access premises. "In several cases, personnel lock their houses when they come to know a team is coming to install a meter. Progress is slow and we have been compelled to shift the deadline due to resistance. For now, we are avoiding any conflict," the official said. The rollout shows wide regional variation. Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) in western UP leads with 71.94% coverage, with Noida (93.66%), Ghaziabad-2 (90.93%) and Meerut-2 (82.57%) nearing saturation. Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MVVNL) has achieved 62.62% installations, driven by Bareilly-1 (89.83%) and Lucknow Central (78.56%), while Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) stands at 66.25%, led by Agra (93.14%) and Mathura (92.67%). In contrast, Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (PuVVNL) in eastern UP has managed only 26.61%, with Basti (11.06%), Prayagraj-2 (15.06%) and Varanasi-2 (20.94%) among the slowest zones. Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (Kanpur Nagar) remains a major outlier at 18.09%. Seeking to assuage employees' concerns, Prashant Kumar Verma, director (commercial), UPPCL, said the objective was energy audit and proper accounting, not withdrawal of concessional power. "There is no plan to curtail the concessional electricity employees receive. In fact, they will get more discounts on the charges they currently pay," Verma said, citing a 2018 UPPCL office order. UPPCL revised electricity charges for departmental employees and pensioners under the LMV-10 category for FY 2017-18, with effect from December 9, 2017. Under the order, Class IV and operating staff pay a fixed monthly charge of Rs.175 and an energy charge of Rs.195, while Class III employees pay Rs.205 and Rs.245 respectively. Junior engineers pay Rs.280 (fixed) and Rs.460 (energy); assistant engineers Rs.305 and Rs.605; and executive engineers Rs.325 and Rs.645. Superintending engineers, general managers and directors pay Rs.595 and Rs.760, while chairperson-level officers and above pay Rs.650 and Rs.880 per month. An additional Rs.650 per air-conditioner per month applies from April to September. "Metered LMV-10 consumers are entitled to a 20% rebate on rate charges and electricity duty, though a 5% rate charge applies to metered connections," Verma added. UP is believed to be the only state where power utility employees still receive unmetered electricity supply, which contrasts with the Electricity Act, 2003 mandating metering of all connections. Section 55(1) of the Act states: "No licensee shall supply electricity, after the expiry of two years from the appointed date, except through installation of a correct meter in accordance with regulations made by the Authority." "The UP Power Reforms Act clearly states that after the unbundling of the UPSEB, employees' service conditions and facilities will in no way be inferior to what they received earlier," Vidyut Karamchari Sanyukt Sangharsh Samiti convenor Shailendra Dubey said. "Section 133(2) of the Electricity Act, 2003 also supports this position," he added. The state executive of the Samiti is scheduled to meet in Lucknow on February 26....