Faulty prepaid meters, incorrect billing reported

Korba | Correspondent: Residents in Korba of Chhattisgarh are facing issues with the newly installed prepaid smart electricity meters which are malfunctioning.

Although the meters are on, yet they are not displaying readings, leading to consumers being charged.

Many have complained that the average bills they are receiving are arbitrary and incorrect.

An official from the electricity department stated that meters should show consumption and an investigation will be conducted to address the issue.

The department noted that the installation of smart meters has only just begun and improvements will be made over time.

In the first phase, the goal is to install prepaid meters in the homes of 1.25 lakh consumers in Korba.

So far, around 15,000 meters have been installed, particularly in the Padimar and Tulsi Nagar areas.

However, after a month, when employees arrived to take readings, many meters displayed zero consumption, forcing the department to issue bills based on the previous month’s average.

Consumers are upset, as even the average bills appear to be inaccurate. One consumer reported typically receiving a bill of Rs 1,100 but was charged Rs 1,600 this time, with no clear explanation of how the bill was calculated.

Smart prepaid meters to include recharge system

The electricity department is gradually replacing regular meters with smart prepaid meters, which will eventually require consumers to recharge them, similar to mobile phones or TV set-top boxes.

However, the recharge system has not yet been activated, and a two-year timeline has been set for its implementation.

For now, bills will continue to be issued based on meter readings, once the malfunctioning meters are fixed.

The department plans to launch the recharge system only after all smart meters have been installed across the city.