Srinagar, Sept. 11 -- Smart meters were introduced in Jammu and Kashmir with the promise of transparency, efficiency, and accountability in electricity consumption. That promise today lies broken. Over 50,000 meters remain defunct, leaving households billed on estimates for years, despite clear regulatory provisions that limit such billing to three cycles. The gap between regulation and practice has turned consumers into collateral, forced to pay for institutional lapses they did not cause.

The failure to replace meters within the mandated period is not a technical glitch but a structural breakdown. Agreements with private contractors required repair and replacement for five years, yet disputes over payments have stalled the process. Uti...