Transition to Smart Meters impede billing process in Srinagar areas

Srinagar, Feb 19: Residents of several areas of the summer capital are panic-calling neighbours and area heads, asking them if they have received their electricity bills. "No" is the answer from the majority of people.

A sudden halt on the exercise of delivering monthly electricity bills at home-steps of the consumers by the officials of the power department has led to confusion, fear, and chaos among the residents of several city areas including Mandir Bagh, Basant Bagh, Habba Kadal, and Badiyar.

The people apprehend they will now need to pay the electricity dues of several months together, burning a hole in their pocket, or worse, unable to afford it at all.

“I pay my electricity bill on time every month, for I’m a 72-year-old woman and living alone on my husband’s little pension. I can’t pay too much at once,” lamented Sakeena Bano as she walked out of the KPDCL office in Gaw Kadal.

The septuagenarian had visited the office, querying about the bills.

“There is no amount displayed on the online billing platforms like BillSahuliyat too,” said one 28-year-old Ahmad Dar, a resident of Gaw Kadal.

The disturbance as per Sofi Umar Farooq, Assistant Engineer (IT), Electric Division-I, Basant Bagh is due to the ongoing process of installing Smart Meters and getting them live.

“We have 6,200 consumers and right now it is a transition phase, it may take a few more months to completely streamline the process,” Sofi said.

Out of 62,00 bills, around 500 bills do remain pending every month, mostly due to the ongoing process of Smart-Metering, Sofi said.

Although Smart Meters were installed over four-months before in areas falling under the ED-I, they are yet to go live.

The reluctance of people to install Smart Meters necessitated getting to an agreement with the locality presidents that their Smart Meters would only be live after this winter is over.

This was done amid the constant opposition by people from different areas to Smart-Metering.

“They are smart customers for us and will probably go live by the month of March,” Sofi said.

The thought of not receiving the bill by March is also increasing the anxiety among the residents here, who say the department will then send them “huge bills including the one recorded from the Smart Meter.”

About this fear, Sofi said they will try to send bills in the coming weeks.

“This has been a common worry among consumers visiting my office who are afraid they will need to pay bulk amounts,” seconding the grievances Greater Kashmir has received, Sofi said.

Regarding the online payment, Sofi said even if it doesn’t show the billed amount, one can pay whatever amount he wishes, that will later be compensated in the billed amount.

“This is like a bank account and consumers can add whatever payment to their accounts whenever they want. That amount would be adjusted in their next bill,” informed Sofi.

The linemen who were seen delivering bills to some of the households told Greater Kashmir that they are only getting a few bills from the office.

The Assistant Executive Engineer of the division, Ajaz Rashid Natoo told Greater Kashmir that the bills are generated at the main Data Centre in Bemina and if we have pending bills, we notify them accordingly.

About the bills pending for over three-months, Natoo said they will try to solve this by the end of this month.