Lucknow, May 15 -- A major change in Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration billing system is now underway, with more than 2.13 lakh smart prepaid meter consumers being shifted to postpaid billing ahead of the June billing cycle. The transition, initiated by Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Ltd, is set to alter how lakhs of households and commercial establishments in the state capital pay for electricity consumption. For consumers who earlier had to recharge electricity balances in advance, the system will now work like a conventional monthly billing model. Electricity used during May will be billed in June, and consumers will receive monthly bill notifications instead of low-balance recharge alerts. LESA officials said the conversion process has already begun across the Amausi, Lucknow Central, Jankipuram and Gomti Nagar zones. Consumers have started receiving SMS notifications from Thursday confirming the migration of their smart prepaid meters to postpaid mode along with details of any remaining balance available in their accounts. According to official figures, out of 2,66,896 smart prepaid meter consumers in Lucknow, around 2,13,758 have converted to the postpaid system for June Billing cycle. Nearly 1.5 lakh electricity bills linked to these migrated connections had also been generated by Thursday. The shift has, however, triggered confusion among several consumers who received messages showing a "positive balance" despite conversion to postpaid billing. Many residents approached electricity offices assuming that the amount reflected pending dues or additional charges. Clarifying the issue, Amausi Zone chief engineer Ram Kumar said the amount mentioned in the SMS is actually the advance money already deposited by consumers under the prepaid system. He said this balance would automatically be adjusted in future electricity bills and consumers need not worry about making duplicate payments. Officials have also informed consumers that under the new arrangement, electricity bill notifications will be issued by the 10th of every month. Bills must be paid before the due date to avoid disconnection under standard postpaid billing rules. Zone-wise data released by the department shows that the Amausi zone accounts for the highest number of smart meter consumers. Of the 97,309 prepaid smart meters installed in the zone, 74,847 have already been converted into postpaid connections. In Lucknow Central zone, 64,740 out of 79,164 prepaid consumers would be shifted to the new billing system. The Jankipuram zone has recorded conversion of 41,199 out of 48,790 smart prepaid meters, while in Gomti Nagar zone, 33,072 out of 41,753 consumers have already migrated to postpaid billing. Jankipuram Zone chief engineer VP Singh said nearly 30,000 homes and commercial establishments in the zone had already been switched to the new billing system and bills for electricity consumed during May had also been prepared. The large-scale migration is being viewed as one of the biggest changes in Lucknow's smart electricity metering system so far. The transition comes at a crucial time, just before peak summer demand, when electricity consumption across the city typically rises sharply....