Bhagalpur, 29 November (HS). Bhagalpur MLA Ajit Sharma on Friday raised in the House the issue of widespread irregularities and financial exploitation of consumers in the prepaid meters being installed by the Energy Department in the state and demanded positive action from the government in public interest. MLA Sharma wanted to know from Energy Minister Vijendra Prasad Yadav in the House whether it is true that prepaid meters have been installed by EEAS for 18 lakh consumers in urban areas. Due to departmental server failure in November 2023, May 2024 and October 2024, consumers could not get accurate information about their electricity consumption. Due to which consumers were forced to pay huge lump sum amount to the departmental company. In his reply, the Energy Minister admitted that due to server glitches in November 2023, May 2024 and October 2024, prepaid balance was not being deducted nor were consumers able to see their daily consumption. For which alternative arrangements were made by the government.
The MLA also wanted to know whether the meters installed at the consumers’ places are installed without testing, due to which the consumers have to bear the consequences financially. While raising a supplementary question in the House, the MLA expressed his disagreement with the government’s reply and asked whether making the meter on the basis of ISI standard is a guarantee of its correctness. Is it the Bureau of Standards itself that the meters installed in about 54 lakh consumers out of 206 lakh consumers in the state have been installed after the checks of the Bureau of Indian Standards? Does the government have the data as to how many meters have been checked and how many of them were found to be correct and how many were found to be faulty?
He said that in October, November 2024, when the ACs remain switched off at the consumers’ places, still the servers are down and more electricity bill recovery is done through average billing. MLA Shri Sharma said that in this entire episode, financial scam is being done with the consumers. Therefore, the government should constitute a special committee of the House and investigate this matter, but the departmental minister could not give any clear answer on this. MLA Shri Sharma said that due to this there is huge dissatisfaction and anger among the electricity consumers of the entire state. This is not a political matter but a matter of economic exploitation of the people. Therefore, the government will have to give a satisfactory answer on this.
