Report by Kamgar Ekta committee (KEC) correspondent
Workers of Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL) are opposing the installation of smart meters in the state. The HPSEBL Employees Union has urged the Chief Minister to withdraw the decision to replace all 26 lakh power meters in the state with smart meters.
“The decision is neither in the interest of HPSEBL, nor the state,” said Shri HL Verma, Secretary of the Union. He added that around 12 lakh consumers got ‘zero bill’, as they consumed less than 125 units of power, which are free for consumers. “What’s the rationale behind installing smart meters costing around Rs 10,000 in a household consuming less than 125 free units of power,” he asked. “Isn’t an electronic meter costing just around Rs 500 a better choice for such consumers?” he added.
The union further pointed out that HPSEBL had recently replaced mechanical meters with electronic meters throughout the state. “Now, the move to shift to smart meters will turn these recently installed electronic meters into scrap, and unnecessary expenditure will have to be made to dispose of this scrap. The decision will put an additional burden on consumers of about Rs 125 per month,” he said.