Lucknow, May 11 -- Facing mounting public anger and political pressure over prepaid smart meters, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to step back from the scheme and refund money collected from consumers.
More than five lakh electricity consumers across the state are set to receive refunds amounting to nearly Rs 200 crore from this month. Officials said the amount will be adjusted directly in consumers' electricity bills.
The move comes after widespread complaints over alleged overcharging in the installation of prepaid smart meters. According to information available, consumers were charged as much as Rs 6,016 for smart meters whose actual cost was around Rs 2,800. The issue triggered protests from consumer groups, trader associations and opposition parties across the state.
Critics alleged that power distribution companies were burdening consumers in the name of prepaid billing and forcing them to pay inflated charges. The opposition had also accused the government of turning electricity services into a profit-driven exercise at the expense of ordinary consumers. Amid growing protests and the changing political atmosphere, the Yogi Adityanath government has now decided to withdraw the prepaid smart meter model for the time being. The decision is being seen as an attempt to defuse public resentment ahead of upcoming political challenges.
Earlier, the state government had already announced that smart meters installed under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme would operate in postpaid mode instead of prepaid billing. Consumers are expected to start receiving postpaid electricity bills from June onwards.
Officials maintain that the shift is aimed at addressing consumer concerns and improving transparency in billing, though opposition parties continue to question the implementation of the smart meter project and the higher charges imposed on consumers.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.