Lucknow, April 14 -- A growing dispute over the rollout of smart prepaid electricity meters has sparked protests in Lucknow on Monday. In the Chinhat area of the city, residents from Kanshiram Colony and nearby localities staged a sit-in at the Lowlai power substation, opposing the installation of prepaid smart meters. Nearly 3,000 electricity consumers set up temporary tents and began an indefinite protest, demanding that the new meters be removed and replaced with postpaid systems. Meanwhile, Ravi Agarwal, chief engineer, LESA, Central Zone, said, "We will follow what the UPPCL authorities will order us to. We cannot act on our own". A protester, Savitri Devi, said that the residents have vowed to continue their agitation until their demands are addressed. The unrest comes amid a wider controversy surrounding the smart metering programme implemented under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in Uttar Pradesh. Consumer groups argue that the shift to prepaid billing is being carried out without explicit consent, turning an optional system into a de facto requirement. The Central Electricity Authority has clarified that prepaid smart meters are not mandatory. The Uttar Pradesh Rajya Upbhokta Parishad has approached the Lok Sabha petitions committee, alleging violations of the Electricity Act, 2003. The council claims that Section 47(5) of the Act clearly makes prepaid metering optional, not compulsory, and that widespread installations without consent amount to a breach of statutory provisions. The petition has been submitted to committee chairperson Chandra Prakash Joshi, urging parliamentary scrutiny and intervention. htc...