Out of 14,90,727 smart meters, only 14,707 installed
WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: The rollout of smart meters under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in Jammu and Kashmir has been sluggish, with only 0.98% per cent completed.
The Minister of Power in Rajya Sabha informed Rajya Sabha.
Out of the total target of 20.33 crore Smart meters sanctioned under Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), approximately 99.51 lakh (4.89%) Smart meters have been installed in the country. The Ministry of Power is regularly monitoring the progress of the installation of Smart meters by various Distribution Utilities and is taking action to resolve the implementation issues between the Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Provider (AMISP) and the Distribution Utilities, the minister informed.
The installation of Smart meters has been affected due to the following reasons: Smart meter being a new concept, there were delays in issue of tenders and establishment of direct debit facility, collection and validation of data for Consumer Indexing, delays in Testing and approvals like Field installation and integration test, Factory acceptance test and likewise, he added.
The minister informed that the installation of the Smart meters is to be completed by the end of the scheme period, i.e., 31.03.2026.
The minister informed that 14,97,690 smart meters have been sanctioned for Jammu and Kashmir, out of which 14,90,727 were awarded, of which 14,707 have been installed.
