PANAJI
The government’s ambitious drive to install 7.5 lakh smart electricity meters across the State has hit a raw nerve among consumers, with reports emerging of the meters being replaced without prior notice.
In St Agostinho locatity of St Cruz village, at least half a dozen domestic consumers say their digital meters were swapped for smart meters without any intimation.
In one apartment block, meters of four flats, two shops, and even the common area were replaced overnight, leaving residents stunned. “Any person entering the premises or residence cannot do so without the permission of the consumer,” said noted activist Roland Martins, who mentors the consumer rights group GOACAN.
He urged affected residents to lodge complaints with the concerned Assistant Engineer, stressing that installations must not be carried out in the absence of consumers.
Funded under the Centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) at a cost of Rs 890.11 crore, the project promises transparency in billing, real-time monitoring of electricity usage, and reduced theft.
Officials from the Electricity Department were not available for comment. Repeated attempts to contact Chief Electrical Engineer Stephen Fernandes failed.
The rollout began in November-December last year, starting with the Electricity Department's own subdivisions and installations, followed by government consumers. It is now being extended to commercial households across the State.
Meanwhile, orders issued by Executive Engineers of the different Electricity Department divisions across the State have authorised survey teams of the contractor Digi Smart Network Pvt Ltd, Jaipur, to visit houses, shops, offices, hospitals and other commercial and industrial establishments for the purpose of conducting a "survey of existing electricity meters and associated infrastructure".
The orders urged the public to co-operate with these survey teams in "validating the consumer data and installation of smart meters."
The incidence of unilateral installation of the smart meters in St Cruz underscores wider anxieties with consumer groups fearing that mandatory installation could strip them of choice, even as questions over data privacy, billing accuracy and possible hidden costs surfacing in tariffs, persist.
Nationally, the Central government has set a target of 25 crore smart meters, with a parliamentary panel even urging faster rollout but insisting on stronger consumer safeguards.
