UP Smart Meter Crisis: 255 Consumers Disconnect Power Permanently; UPPCL Under Pressure

Avdhesh Kumar Verma, President of the Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Consumer Council, has raised serious concerns over the reliability of smart prepaid meters, citing data that contradicts official claims of their efficiency. Verma highlighted that permanent disconnections of 255 consumers across the Banda, Jhansi, Kanpur-I, and Kanpur-II zones expose the "ground reality" of the system, which differs significantly from the government's assurances.

Minister’s Claims Vs. Ground Reality

Verma pointed out that Energy Minister AK Sharma, during a recent visit to Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam, defended the new technology, stating that "smart meters are perfectly fine and work like smartphones."

However, Verma argued that this comparison is flawed. "No consumer can live without electricity," Verma said. "If connections are being permanently disconnected due to high bills or technical issues with smart meters, it serves as a serious warning for power companies."

The Data: "Company Report Admits Faults"

Refuting the claims of seamless operation, Verma referenced a report from one of the companies responsible for installing the meters. The report admits to significant operational issues and disconnections in the Banda, Jhansi and Kanpur divisions.

- Key findings from the report include:

Permanent Disconnections: 255 consumers have had their smart prepaid connections permanently disconnected.

Temporary Disconnections: 1,973 consumers were found to be temporarily disconnected, leaving them without power because they were unable to recharge their prepaid accounts.

- Technical Tampering & Damages:

• Cables Cut: The cables of 303 meters were found cut.
• Cables Damaged: 60 consumers had damaged meter cables.
• Meters Bypassed: 136 consumers were found to be bypassing their meters.
• Missing Meters: In 103 cases, the meters were not found at the site.
• Damaged Infrastructure: In 23 cases, the voltage transformer was found damaged.

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Questions On Reliability

The Consumer Council President asserted that these statistics raise serious questions about the technical reliability and practical functionality of smart prepaid meters. He emphasized that the high number of disconnections and tampering incidents suggests that the system is not as "consumer-friendly" or "flawless" as is being projected by the authorities.

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