30,000 consumers await power connections in Himachal Pradesh

Lalit Mohan

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Dharamsala, September 10

People who have applied for new electricity connections are being made to wait for months as the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL) is short of electricity meters. Sources said that there was shortage of electricity meters as the HPSEBL was looking to shift for normal electricity meters to smart metres.

The sources said that about 10,000 people in the Dharamsala circle and about 30,000 all over the state were waiting for new electricity connections. Among those who are waiting for new electricity connections are people setting up new industrial units, domestic consumers and owners of commercial buildings.

Ravi Kumar, an affected consumer, said that it was sad state of affairs. “We were being forced to wait for electricity connections as the board was short of electricity meters. At places, electricity board officials are telling consumers that they should buy meters from private shops if we want early electricity connection. The private electricity meters are costly and they would be replaced with smart metersby the electricity board. So, buying meters from private shops was just an extra burden on the consumers,” he said.

MD of the HPSEBL, Harikesh Mena, when asked, said there were 28 lakh electricity consumers in the state. So, shortage of 30,000 meters means that just about one per cent consumers were hit. The shortage is being caused as the board is switching over from old electricity meters to smart electricity meters as per the guidelines of the Government of India. “We are in the process of finalising tenders for procuring smart meters and it is likely to be through in another quarter,” he said.

To be through in another quarter

The shortage is being caused as the electricity board is switching over from old meters to smart meters. We are in the process of finalising tenders for procuring smart meters and it is likely to be through in another quarter. — Harikesh Mena, MD,HPSEBL