Acting on directions from chief minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh government will launch a seven-day door-to-door campaign this week to address growing complaints over smart prepaid electricity meters, marking a shift to direct consumer engagement, officials said.
The initiative comes amid continued consumer concerns over issues such as negative balances, sudden disconnections and alleged billing discrepancies.
A similar campaign was conducted in February after several meters reportedly showed negative balances, but its impact remained limited, according to an office bearer of the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad.
Under the new plan, teams of officials from power corporations and discoms will visit consumers at their homes instead of relying on helplines or centralised grievance systems. The aim is to resolve complaints on the spot while also understanding practical challenges faced by households during the transition to prepaid metering.
Dr Ashish Goyal, UPPCL chairman, directed officials to treat each complaint as a case study after a review meeting at Shakti Bhawan on Saturday evening. Officers will be assigned clusters of 10 to 20 consumers and held directly responsible for resolving issues and ensuring follow-up.
The campaign reflects a move towards proactively identifying problems rather than waiting for grievances to escalate. Teams will examine issues such as recharge failures, unexpected power cuts linked to low balance and billing discrepancies.
Senior officials, including Pankaj Kumar, managing director, have been instructed to ensure that complaints, especially those related to alleged overbilling, are resolved within the same day. Control rooms and monitoring units at the discom level will track progress and report developments regularly.
Riya Kejriwal, Madhyanchal managing director, said priority will be given to consumers whose electricity connections were automatically disconnected due to insufficient balance. Officials will assess whether such cases link to affordability concerns, technical glitches or lack of awareness.
Cases where power supply was not restored despite recharge will also be taken up on priority. Feedback collected during field visits will be used to review system-level gaps and improve the functioning of the prepaid metering system.
The corporation has also warned that any instance of incorrect billing will lead to an inquiry and action against the responsible personnel.
