Panaji: Goa government, along with other states, has received a directive from the central government to introduce prepaid meters for electricity consumers in the state.
While the government is in the process of installing 3.5 lakh digital meters across the state soon, power minister Pandurang Madkaikar said in the next lot, his department will adopt prepaid meters for domestic connections.
Goa has about 7 lakh domestic connections of which, 3.5 lakh consumers will be allotted digital meters for which work orders are likely to be issued next week, Madkaikar told STOI.
Two work orders of Rs 19 crore and Rs 29 crore will be issued for digital meters.
"It will take us a year or more before we start giving prepaid meters. With prepaid meters, the existing problems will be solved," said Madkaikar.
Prepaid meters allows a consumer to recharge an amount equivalent to his power consumption via a card which will come installed in a prepaid meter, said Madkaikar.
The advantage, prepaid meters offer to a consumer, is that they need not go to the electricity department or any other designated forum such as bank, to pay his electricity bill. Also, the issues of wrong billing and bills not be issued on time will be avoided, said Madkaikar.
The non-payment of bill on time due to delays in issuance of bill must be avoided as the responsibility to timely recharge the connection will lie with the consumer, said Madkaikar.
For industrial or high-tension connections, Madkaikar said his department has already gone in for smart meters.
