Power Department Corporation Limited (JPDCL)-Jammu and Srinagar has started installation of SIM based smart e-meters as part of a major reform process to bring transparency in billing and reduce revenue losses in UT.
According to officials about 300 e-meters are being installed in two capital cities-Jammu and Srinagar on trial basis and after monitoring their functioning and operational challenges, about 57,000 smart meters will be installed in both the capital cities.
The first phase target is to install 1.15 lakh meters under a project sanctioned under centrally sponsored ambitious J&K specific Prime Minister Development Programme (PMDP).
“Smart meters will bring transparency in metering, billing and collection which will eventually reduce power losses and ensure quality and reliable power supply to consumers”, said Gurmeet Singh, Chief Engineer, Power Distribution Corporation Limited (PDCL-Jammu).
Similarly, trials are being conducted in old city areas of Kashmir by PDCL-Kashmir.
When the project is completed consumers could recharge the smart meters in the same manner as mobile phones are recharged, thus eliminating the requirement of manual meter-reading and paper bill distribution.
“Meters will be read remotely in the Data Centre at Srinagar and Data Recovery Centre at Jammu through communication channels. Engineers will know the status of power supply at consumer end and take prompt action in case there is power interruption due to system faults or some other reason”, said a senior official in the power department.
After a decade of reform process which started in 2005 under various governments in the erstwhile state, the power sector had remained a ‘Achilles heel’.
