PANJIM: Taking into consideration the delay in raising electricity bills, Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant has asked the Power Department to explore possibility of installing prepaid meters for domestic consumers.
On Tuesday, Sawant chaired a meeting attended by top bureaucrats related to digitisation of government services in the State.
During the meet, the Chief Minister took stock of the issue of delay in raising the electricity bills since meter readers are requisitioned for election and disaster relief work.
In his tweet, the Chief Minister said, “Advised (Power Department) to explore the possibility of installation of prepaid meters.”
The State Power Department is currently grappling with issues like delay in electricity bills or inflated bills, apart from frequent power cuts.
The issue of switching to prepaid meters is pending since 2018, when the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) had directed the department to expedite the process of installation of prepaid meters. The commission had highlighted the department’s long history of issues related to billing and collection and has stated that pre-paid meters though costly as compared to conventional meters, will be cost effective in the long run.
It has directed the department to submit a proposal for installation of smart meters for all high-tension and extra high-tension consumers, low-tension industries and hotel industries, all government connections, all connections whose premises remain locked for three or more months in a year.
