State to install smart meters in 37L households, says minister

MP  | 1 Dec 2022 | KOLKATA: In a unique move, the West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (WBSEDCL) has decided to install smart meters in 37 lakh households. During the question and answer session, State power minister Aroop Biswas in the Assembly said that smart meters will be installed in 37 lakh households and a huge number of people will be benefitted. 

Taking a dig at the BJP-led government in Gujarat, Biswas said that people in Gujarat still face load shedding issues. During the Left Front regime, incidents of load shedding were a usual phenomenon in Bengal. 

There are currently around 2.20 crore consumers with the WBSEDCL, while CESC has around 33 lakh customers. The minister also told the house that 87 sub-stations will be installed. More than Rs 11.89 crore will be spent for this project under the RDSS project. 

Out of the total cost of the project, around 60 per cent will be given by the Centre while the state government will bear 40 per cent of the project cost. 

Once a smart meter is installed in a house, the department will no longer require visiting the household to disconnect the connection. Even the power department people will not require visiting a house for meter reading if a smart meter is installed. 

It can be done by sitting in the office. The smart meter is already in use at some places. The state Power department started the process of installation of smart meters for the first time in Siliguri in 2018, as part of a pilot project. 

The process of integration of software and hardware and other necessary infrastructure for adopting the new technology is going on in full swing. 

It may be mentioned that the Central government in 2011 had selected five to six states across the country, including Bengal, for a scheme on smart meters, whereby it had allocated 50 percent funds for the project. 

Smart meters are very much effective in curbing hooking and pilferage, which has always been a matter of concern for WBSEDCL. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/state-to-install-smart-meters-in-37l-households-says-min-500764