1.5 lakh more ‘smart’ meters to be set up in state by September end

Gurgaon: In a bid to give a much-needed push to the state’s ambitious ‘smart’ meter project, the power department has set a target to install around 1.5 lakh such meters in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Karnal and Panchkula by the end of September. Only around 3.5 lakh meters out of 10 lakh planned to be installed in these districts have been set up so far, of which around 70,000 are in Gurgaon.
The project was launched by the Haryana government in 2018 with a deadline of June 2021. In a recently hearing by the Haryana Electricity Regulatory Commission (HERC), the power department and the Energy Efficiency Services Limited (EESL), which is implementing the project in the state, had accepted that progress of the project has been “tardy and below expectations”. The officials, however, assured HERC that concerted efforts would be made.
With the help of the ‘smart’ meters, power bills will be sent to consumers digitally without the need for physical inspections by discom officials, and they can easily pay the charges online or offline. Pre-paid facility will also be available.
Besides speeding up the project, the power department has also proposed sending all information related to electricity bills and complaints to consumers via WhatsApp and email.
“We are targeting the installation of around five lakh smart meters in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Karnal, and Panchkula by the end of next month. We have directed EESL and district officials to work on a war footing now. We are overhauling the process of issuing bills,” additional chief secretary (electricity department) PK Das said.
The department has pushed the deadline for the project to December 2023.
“We were installing over 1,000 meters a day before the lockdown. Had the same momentum continued, we would have almost accomplished our target by August 31. But supply of the meters stopped due to the lockdown and is still taking time to catch up to the pre-lockdown pace. The rains in July caused further delays but we still managed to improve the momentum. Between August and September, we’ll installing around 25,000-30,000 meters a month in Gurgaon,” said a DHBVN official.