Pune: Out of 11,770 complaints that Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) received between Jan and May from consumers in the Pune zone about inflated bills after smart meter installation, merely four were substantiated, minister of state (MoS) for energy, Meghna Sakore-Bordikar, said on Friday in state assembly session.She was replying to questions raised about the installation of smart meters, even as consumers in the district have been facing frequent power cuts.“It is not true that the electricity bill increases because of a smart meter. In fact, if the electricity is consumed during the day between 9am and 5pm, there is per unit discount of 85paise to the consumers,” she said.“MSEDCL also installed check meters in places where there was a complaint related to smart meters to verify whether there is a faulty reading. There are a lot of misconceptions about the smart meter,” Bordikar added.As of June, she said in the assembly, the power utility has installed 9.8 lakh smart meters for low-tension consumers in Pune city. As per earlier reports by TOI, consumers were apprehensive about the installation of smart meters due to a lack of proper communication and have complained that their bills have increased post-installation.Recently, consumers in the city received messages from MSEDCL that their meters can be replaced within 48 hours. Earlier, residents had said that they were not informed about the change of meters, and MSEDCL made the installation without proper notice. However, experts maintained that although it is bound to increase the electricity bills, the newer technology will benefit them in the long term.The minister said MSEDCL has allocated Rs 120 crore for repair and maintenance of the distribution point boxes in the city. It has also formulated a Rs 1,100-crore plan for laying underground cables throughout the city.She said the land for the NCL substation has been acquired and the development plan has been modified. The tendering process for setting up of the substation will be completed soon, which will bring relief to residents in Shivajinagar.
