As far as replacement of working meters, citizens feel it is wasteful to replace perfectly functioning digital meters with controversial smart meters. There should not be prepaid system troubling common people in case forceful implementation is carried out under pretext of law. Despite the opposition, government insists the project is necessary to reduce power losses and that implementation will proceed as per central government decisions. The government maintains that smart meters are a "universal practice" and that they will be installed outside consumer premises to check for tampering. Protesters have argued that, according to the Electricity Act 2003 and Central Electricity Authority regulations, smart meters are not legally mandatory on existing connections and that the consumer has the right to refuse, a point that has fuelled legal challenges and demands for action against the forced installations. Coming elections will play a key role in fixing electricity smart meters.
