Power meters in Haryana are all set to enter the pre-paid mode.
Haryana Power Utilities have planned to install about 10 lakh pre-paid electricity meters at houses in the state. With this, consumers would get power according to the amount of pre-paid recharge done by them and they would also be able to shut their meters whenever required.
“In case of no usage, the recharge amount would remain in their account and the meter would be recharged on the pattern of pre-paid mobile. Consumers would also be relieved of the charge levied on making online payment of electricity bills,” said Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor, chairman-cum-managing director, Haryana Power Generation Corporation limited in Sirsa.
He said that about 10 lakh pre-paid electricity meters had already been purchased under this scheme and work to install them would soon be given to an agency.
In the next two years, the meter at each house would be replaced with a smart meter. This would help address the complaints pertaining to meter-reading, said he.
Kapoor said the Corporation had taken effective steps to redress the grievances of people. ‘Bijli Sudhar Samiti’ would be constituted in each village and cooperation of gram panchayats would be sought to resolve the challenges faced by the Corporation. Assistance of people would also be sought in the villages to pare down the line losses. The Corporation has been making efforts to increase power supply by reducing line losses, he added.
He informed that as many as 280 villages in the state are being supplied power on the urban pattern.
Power supply has been enhanced this year and the number and duration of power cuts have been reduced, claimed he.
Power is being supplied for 22-23 hours in the urban areas, for 24 hours to 1,340 villages and 250 feeders. Apart from this, additional power supply for four hours would be given to dhanis in the state, Kapoor added.