‘Smart’ meters leave city in dark, dry zone

Nidhi.Bhardwaj@timesofindia.comLudhiana: The city has not exactly been a picture of orderliness and now, there are streetlights on the blink to add to the chaos. For once though, it is not a question of maintenance but of payment — rather, pre-payment.Installation of prepaid smart electricity meters on streetlights in several parts of the city has plunged many localities into darkness. Similar meters are also being fitted on tubewells.Earlier, the civic body settled electricity bills with Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) against pending dues to be recovered. With smart meters, however, the civic body must recharge in advance to keep supply running.Officials said the issue came to light only after residents complained about non-functional streetlights. Tubewells have also stopped working in a few areas. Initially, technical faults were suspected, but checks revealed that the problem lay with the new prepaid meters.The civic body pointed out that PSPCL issued the prepaid meter policy in 2023, exempting hospitals, streetlights and tubewells. Now, these exemptions have been withdrawn without prior notice. By Wednesday, 375 meters had been installed, each covering at least 30 streetlights.Officials estimated that the civic body will need to pay Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore every month to PSPCL for streetlights, while Rs 35 crore to Rs 40 crore is to be recovered from the power department.Expressing concerns about safety, residents warned that dark streets could lead to thefts and accidents.Ashok Kumar of Shivaji Nagar said thefts were already common in nearby areas. He warned that darkness would embolden criminals to snatch mobiles and chains or break into houses. He also feared accidents at night when roads are not visible. He urged authorities to resolve the matter with PSPCL, stressing that essential services cannot be prepaid.Political voices joined in. Former councillor Inder Aggarwal accused the ruling party of negligence and lack of coordination between departments. He said shutting down streetlights and tubewells amounted to ignoring essential services.Another former councillor, Mamta Ashu, posted on social media that the tubewell in Model Gram park had been non-functional for two days. She said residents were suffering in the heat without water supply and questioned whether the govt intended to provide any relief.Senior Deputy Mayor Rakesh Prashar also raised the issue. In a letter to MC Commissioner Neeru Katyal Gupta, he wrote that several wards had been plunged into darkness for three days as streetlights had been shut down. He added that a private company informed him that PSPCL was installing smart meters on streetlights and tubewells and warned that services would resume only after recharging the meters.MC Commissioner Neeru Katyal Gupta said she conveyed the matter to senior authorities and wrote to the secretary to raise it with PSPCL. Meanwhile, she said efforts were being made to recharge meters to prevent public inconvenience.Box: A policy contradiction:--As per a 2021 state govt notification, urban local bodies are not required to pay electricity bills for tubewells--As for water and sewer bills, the then Congress govt fixed Rs 50 per household above 125 square yards, while smaller households did not receive such bills--Officials said the state govt pays tubewell bills directly. If the civic body attempts to pay, it risks coming under audit scrutinyBox: Chaos unleashed--Essential services like street lighting and water supply have been disrupted, leaving residents anxious and officials scrambling for solutions--With hundreds of metres already installed, the civic body faces mounting costs and pressure to act quickly--Residents continue to demand immediate resolution, warning that prolonged darkness and water shortages could have serious consequences for safety and daily life