Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Mar 14: Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) has achieved a major milestone by successfully installing around 80,000 smart meters in Kashmir, with the corporation expected to install nearly 6.5 lakh meters to achieve 100% installation in the next two years.
The Chief Engineer of KPDCL, Javeed Yousuf, told Excelsior that the corporation is expected to install around 1.50 lakh smart meters in the next year, which will cover nearly all of Srinagar city and some major towns of the Valley.
He said that once the city and towns are covered, they would move to rural areas for the installation of the smart meters. “In the next two years, we will achieve 100% metering, including shops, government offices, hotels, and other commercial places,” he said.
The CE said that the installation of smart meters has been ongoing for several months, and the main goal is to provide an uninterrupted power supply to consumers. The meters allow for accurate billing and provide good voltage and efficiency, and consumers can monitor their usage and bills through their phones with their smart-BS application. “The consumer can easily check the power usage from his/her phone and can accordingly plan their power usage to keep the bill under check,” he said.
He said that while the installation process faced some resistance, the benefits of the smart meters are being demonstrated, and people are accepting the technology. He cautioned against any sort of tampering, saying that as soon as someone tries to tamper with the reading, the consumer has to face the law. “If anyone tries to tamper with the meter, we will immediately get an alert,” he said.
The Chief Engineer said that they faced some resentment against the installation of meters in many areas, but they have been able to install uninterrupted meters with the support of police and administration. However, the situation has changed as a small number of people are hesitant while others have understood the benefits of smart meters. “We have been able to successfully make people understand that the meters will help resolve a lot of problems for them, including low voltage, load shedding, or other issues that the consumers often faced,” he said.
Moreover, he said, the metering would bring transparency to the system and reduce human intervention and the scope of any manipulation. “Since the role of humans will be reduced to a greater extent, there are negligible chances of manipulation in billing,” he said.
Asked about providing uninterrupted power supply during the upcoming holy month of Ramadan, the Chief Engineer said that they are planning to provide better electricity during this month, particularly during Sehri and Iftar. “Our first goal is to provide uninterrupted power supply to the people during the Sehri, and Iftar times so that people can keep their fasts easily,” he said.
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