Amid rising anger and protests over smart prepaid meters in UP, the Yogi government has announced major relief for nearly 70 lakh electricity consumers. The state has ended the prepaid system. All smart meters will now work like postpaid meters. Consumers will no longer need to recharge first to keep electricity running.
Consumers will once again receive a monthly electricity bill. They will also get the option to clear pending dues in instalments. Energy Minister A.K. Sharma has directed officials not to disconnect power within one month under any circumstances. He also asked departments to resolve consumer complaints on priority.
Government Acts After Growing Public Anger
A.K. Sharma said the decision came after technical problems and a large number of complaints from consumers. He said the government wants to make sure that people do not face unnecessary trouble.
Smart meters have faced resistance in the state for several months. On April 25, the energy minister had announced that electricity would not be disconnected for 30 days for connections up to 1 kilowatt. He had also said consumers with 2-kilowatt connections would continue to receive power even if the balance went Rs 200 into the negative. But the announcement failed to calm public anger.
Protests Spread Across Several Cities
On Sunday (May 3), protests broke out in several cities, including Agra, Firozabad and Fatehpur. Women came out on the streets and removed meters from their homes. In many places, they threw the meters outside the electricity department offices. The Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party also joined the protests.
On Monday (May 4), A.K. Sharma held an important meeting with senior electricity department officials at Shakti Bhavan. The meeting focused on protests and complaints linked to smart prepaid meters. After the meeting, Sharma repeated that consumers would not suffer. He said all smart meters in the state would now function exactly like normal postpaid meters. He also made it clear that the prepaid system has been completely withdrawn.
Key Decisions Taken by the Government
- Smart meters will now operate fully in postpaid mode.
- Consumers will receive monthly bills in the old format.
- Bills for electricity used from the 1st to the 30th of every month will be sent within the next 10 days through SMS or WhatsApp.
- Consumers must pay the bill within the given deadline.
- People have been asked to update their mobile numbers to receive billing messages and alerts.
- Electricity connections will not be disconnected within one month under any circumstances.
- Consumers with old pending dues can clear them in 10 easy instalments.
- The replacement of old meters with smart prepaid meters has been stopped for now.
- Complaints linked to recently installed smart meters will be resolved on priority.
Also Read: Yogi Govt Acts Fast on Smart Meter Crisis, Puts Consumers First
Why the Government Changed Course
The government took this step after widespread complaints from consumers. Many people said smart meters were running too fast. They claimed the meters showed higher bills even when electricity use remained low. Some consumers also said their balance kept falling even when they were not using much electricity.
A major complaint involved sudden power cuts. Consumers said the electricity supply stopped as soon as the balance went into the negative. In many cases, the supply did not return immediately even after a recharge.
