Uttar Pradesh Moves Smart Electricity Meters To Postpaid Mode After Consumer Complaints

Lucknow, May 5 (KNN) The Government of Uttar Pradesh has decided to discontinue the prepaid mode of smart electricity meters and shift all such meters to a postpaid billing system following complaints over technical issues.

Energy Minister Arvind Kumar Sharma said the move was taken on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to provide relief to consumers facing difficulties under the prepaid system, reported Times Of India.

New Billing System and Relief Measures

Under the revised model, electricity usage from the 1st to the 30th of each month will now be billed in a conventional postpaid format. Bills will be sent within the next 10 days via SMS or WhatsApp, and consumers must pay within the prescribed timeline.

The government also directed that electricity connections should not be disconnected during the current billing cycle. Consumers with pending dues will be allowed to clear outstanding payments in up to 10 installments.

Smart Meter Rollout Paused Temporarily

Around 83 lakh of Uttar Pradesh’s 86.5 lakh smart meter users currently operate on prepaid meters, with most belonging to the 1 kW and 2 kW consumer categories.

The replacement of conventional meters with prepaid smart meters has been temporarily suspended, though authorities said resolving complaints related to existing installations remains a priority. 

Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad chairman Avadesh Kumar Verma welcomed the decision and called for withdrawal of FIRs filed during earlier protests.

(KNN Bureau)