Delhiites will soon be able to get their electricity meters checked by accredited independent laboratories as the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) is set to open a third-party meter testing for the public from September onwards. According to the regulatory body, it will issue a list of such testing labs, where faulty meters can be tested by August-end.
"From September, people will be able to get their electricity meters checked from several testing laboratories if they suspect the inflated bills. There will be around four such labs, the names of which will be announced by end of August. If the meter is found faulty, the power distribution company will have to get it fixed," said PD Sudhakar, Chairman of DERC. However, he added that the consumer will have to pay a nominal fee if the tests prove that their meter was not faulty. "If faults are found in the meter within its expiry period, then it would be replaced free of cost," he added.
For almost a year now, power consumers had no way to get their faulty or tampered meters checked as the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI), located in Bangalore, which was the only accredited lab for meter testing had discontinued doing so for Delhi due to financial crunch.
In the absence of any testing facility in the city, consumers had to send their meters through the Public Grievance Cell of the Government. "The CPRI had stopped testing meters in Delhi because of some financial problem. But, it has again resumed testing meters ever since the revised power tariffs were announced on July 26,” Sudhakar informed.
According to the commission, it received hundreds of complaints from consumers under Section 142 of the Electricity Act 2003, regarding testing of electricity metres in cases of theft, tampering and so on.