Nagpur: An elderly woman in Zingabai Takli allegedly remained without electricity for several hours despite clearing her pending bill, rekindling concerns over smart meters, particularly regarding automatic disconnections and delays in restoring supply.Rekha Rathod said her family members were out of town, resulting in the electricity bill not being paid on time and the power supply being disconnected. After relatives learnt about the situation, the outstanding amount was paid online around 6pm. However, according to local residents, supply was restored only around 1am.The outage reportedly left Rathod alone at home without electricity throughout the day amid sweltering weather.Former Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) corporator Arun Daware said he contacted Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) officials regarding restoration of supply. “Officials told me power would be restored once the payment was reflected in the system and that it could take at least two hours,” he said.Daware alleged that electricity was not restored for several more hours, forcing the woman to spend the evening and much of the night in darkness. Terming the incident an example of “high-handedness”, he questioned whether technology was being implemented without adequate consideration for humanitarian concerns.“A machine cannot understand pain, suffering or emergencies,” he said, adding that many citizens fear technological systems may override human intervention in genuine cases of hardship.A senior MSEDCL official, however, clarified that the bill recovery process remains unchanged after the installation of smart meters. Electricity supply can be disconnected any time after the 21-day grace period expires, the official said.Power supply is restored remotely once the pending amount is paid online and updated in the central system. “Restoration is carried out from the head office and local officials have no role in the process. Normally, supply should resume within one to two hours after payment,” the official said.The incident comes amid growing apprehension among consumers over smart meters. Many fear that electricity supply could be disconnected automatically during emergencies if bills remain unpaid. Some consumers have also alleged an increase in electricity bills following installation of smart meters. MSEDCL has denied these claims, maintaining that the meters are more accurate, transparent and enable consumers to monitor power consumption in real time.
