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| Oops: Raj Bhawan flaunts ‘dumb’ installation of smart meters ! | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Mar 23: Much against the hype being created by the Raj Bhawan over the “successful installation of smart meters” in the twin capitals of Jammu and Srinagar, “the metering is not smart but dumb.”
Senior officials in the Power Development Department told the Early Times on the condition of anonymity that the Raj Bhawan was creating “undue hype” over installation of the smart meters only to show “good performance of an official on deputation, who is under the scanner of New Delhi for his misadventures.”
The officials said while the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has been himself hailing the installation of the smart meters, the metering was yet to start smart services as promised by the government.
“Firstly no more than 12,000 smart meters have been installed in Jammu and Srinagar and the main thing is that none of such meters is acting as smart meter. One of the main features of a smart meter is that it should have prepaid facility but the same isn’t working,” said some officials on the condition of anonymity.
They said some of the engineers had told their “boss” that the installation of meters was incomplete unless the prepaid feature works, but that they were asked to “keep their mouth shut.”
“The smart meter is incomplete even in areas which the government is talking about as the prepaid feature is not working anywhere. A smart meter without a prepaid feature is a car without wheels,” the officials said.
The officials said the only reason of hype over smart meters was being created was to give rosy picture of performance of an official on deputation, who is already accused of having put government to embarrassment many times.
“One such incident was mishandling the protests by power department employees a few months ago when he issued orders to call in Army.”
But the government is almost celebrating the installation of “dumb meters.”
On March 21, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha said that in a major step towards ensuring uninterrupted power supply, the areas being installed with Smart Meters will be made curtailment free along with supply of quality power to the end user.
“From today, 6603 smart meter households connected to 4 feeders of Jammu will receive quality electricity,” announced the Lt Governor.
“I appeal to the people to install smart meters and help the administration in controlling theft and reducing wasteful consumption,” the Lt Governor added.
When contacted a senior official tried to downplay the matter saying the prepaid feature would be made functional in the “coming days but couldn’t give any deadline for the same.” |
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