Suhail Rather
Bandipora, Feb 05: The installation of smart metres by Jammu and Kashmir’s Power Development Department in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district has faced criticism after consumers reported its quick damages owing to installation without proper expert supervision.
Numerous consumers in Nowpora and Main Market reported short circuits at electric poles shortly after the installation of new metres. One such incident occurred on Monday morning in the main market, adjacent to the Gurdwara, where people ran for cover as all of a sudden electric wire caught fire on the pole holding half a dozen smart metres.
In an initiative to combat power theft, KPDCL has undertaken a thorough campaign to deploy smart metres across the Kashmir Valley. The installation process has been outsourced.
Managing Director of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), Mussarat Zia said Smart meters are being implemented by the best TKCs in the country like Techno, Anvil and Agencies like REC, NTPC and Power grid are the PIAs.
However, the installation has been sublet to other contractors who have hired labours to install meters and are hurriedly installing meters to meet the target without maintain the quality of work.
Dozens of residents in Bandipora complained that wires caught fire at poles as the wires were tied loosely that lead to frequent short circuits at poles. “They are rushing to meet the target and contractors are not bothered about quality. The burden is to be bore by Linemen of KPDCL who even come to restore electricity at night,” locals said, allegeing that contractors are even risking lives of linemen of KPDCL.
Locals stated that they do not oppose the installation of smart meters, as the government asserts it is a permanent solution for preventing power theft. If this is the case, they express support and have no objections to the installation of these meters.
"After the installation of metres in the main town, they were damaged on their first use. The authorities seem to have assigned the task to non-professionals lacking basic knowledge of metre installation," they said.
Likewise, another resident narrated a similar incident, mentioning that the metre, installed a few days ago, was quickly damaged after electricity usage. "It appears the PDD department assigned this task to non-professionals lacking basic knowledge of metre installation, leading to swift damages. They have overburdened the KPDCL Linemen too," he added
The locals claim that the PDD department is not taking this matter seriously. Despite reaching out to the relevant authorities, there has been no response.
Also a group of locals informed the Kashmir Convener newspaper that numerous metres installed in the main market have been damaged. They advocate for a professional workforce to handle this task, as non-professionals have been quickly installing metres only for them to be damaged later. The administration needs to address this issue.
The Managing Director of Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL), Mussarat Zia, stated that 2.5 lakh metres have been installed and operational in Srinagar for the past 2 years.
Though Zia remained tight-lipped about the complaints of faulty installation and subsequent quality of work not been maintained, he , however mentioned a resistance to smart metering among consumers, attributing it to the accountability it establishes for energy consumption.
According to Zia, “No faulty smart metre can be installed; it undergoes a series of checks and balances. We've installed over 2.5 lakh smart metres, with a substantial portion being prepaid enabled, generating daily bills."
He also highlighted instances where some consumers attempted to overload metres intentionally in an effort to damage them, citing similar occurrences in Srinagar.
