Bhagalpur, Bihar: The Bhagalpur smart meter installation process is not going smoothly due to opposition from people. Only 1.26 lakh metres have been installed out of 170 lakh consumers. The Bhagalpur smart meter order is running especially slowly in Nathnaagar and Champa Nagar areas. There is consistent effort from the electrical company, however, the people are not ready to listen. There are 44,000 meters yet to be installed. In other areas, namely Barhpura, Tatarpur, and Mirjanhat, the work progress stopped after some installations. Over 23,000 homes don’t have meters in Tilkamanjhi, Nathnaagr, Mojhadipur, and Aliganj regions. The situation is the same in Navgachiya, Sultanganj, and Kahalgaon regions, where over 21,000 houses don’t have smart meters.
Bhagalpur Smart Meter Installation Tension
About 7-8 months ago, electricity workers were chased away by people in Barhpura and beaten up. With the help of the electricity administrative people, they could work under tight security. On Tuesday, June 3, the District Magistrate Nawal Kishor Chaudhary instructed the workers to disconnect the electricity connection of people who are not ready for the Bhagalpur smart meter installation process. He also instructed the South Bihar Power Distribution Company Limited (SBPDCL) to deploy more people in this process in order to meet the target within a month.
Revenue officer of South Bihar Power Distribution Company, Abhgay Kumar, tried to explain the matter. He said people don’t seem to oppose too much nowadays compared to how they used to react before. Several houses are locked because the owner has left. Smart meters could not be installed in those homes. The installation work is almost done in the Tilkamanjhi area. Almost all the government offices have a smart meter. According to the Bhagalpur smart meter order, schools, colleges, and other institutions will also install smart meters.
Number of Consumers Left to Install Smart Meters
Vikas Singh, project manager of Genus Private Limited, said they didn’t face any issues for the last few days. It is easier to convince the people who initially oppose the installation. There is a complaint regarding the Bhagalpur smart meter order workers as well. It is reported that the progress is slow in Mirjanhat, Hasanganj, and other southern regions due to the irregularities of the workers. After this report, many workers were removed. Moreover, legal action was taken targeting three people who attempted to tamper with the smart meter and steal wires. Those people were arrested and sent to prison. He also reported that about 1 lakh smart meters are always in stock. He also mentioned they have the number of the shops and houses that need installation.
- Navgachiya: 30340 smart meters are installed; Over 6532 meters are yet to be installed.
- Tilkamajhi: 36179 meters have been installed, with 143 consumer places left.
- Sultanganj: 8972 places left; 46008 meters have been installed.
- Nath Nagar: 5760 meters have been installed, with 14756 places left.
- Mojhadipur: 37911 meters have been installed, with 1121 places left
- Kahalgaon: 43406 meters are installed, with 6544 meters left
- Aliganj: 6753 places left and 47237 meters are installed.
Following this strict order by DM Nawal Kishor Chaudhary, it is likely that more people will abide by this process and help the Bhagalpur smart meter installation run smoothly.
