Odisha govt plans to install prepaid smart meters to check power theft

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to check power pilferage, the Odisha government has planned to install tamper-proof prepaid smart meters at the houses of the consumers.

Energy Minister Dibya Shankar Mishra informed that the will install smart meters on a pilot basis in Sambalpur and Rourkela towns.

For Sambalpur, the government will procure 4500 prepaid meters. Based on the results, the model would be replicated across the state.

 “The main objective of the smart meter is tamper-free. The magnet wheel can’t be slowed down. Even the connection from behind can’t be delinked as used to be the illegal practice,” said the Energy Minister.

Through the pre-paid smart meter, the consumer can recharge after the amount of consumption is exhausted.

“A consumer who fails to deposit due, we can disconnect using the remote facility,” said Mishra.

However, the state government has been talking of installing prepaid smart meters since past several years while it has failed to materialise the proposed project.