The Uttar Pradesh government has eliminated the requirement for prepaid smart meters for electricity users. This change will switch back to a postpaid billing system, offering relief to many users across the state.
Uttar Pradesh Scraps Prepaid Smart Meters
All power connections will now work in postpaid mode, allowing consumers to pay their bills after using electricity, similar to the previous system. Officials mentioned that monthly billing will restart with a 15-day payment window.
New electricity connections will still be set up with smart meters, but these will also work in postpaid mode.
Postpaid billing system again in effect, Relief to people
This decision comes after reports of technical issues and numerous complaints from consumers. About 75 lakh connections that were shifted to prepaid mode over the last year will now revert to postpaid. The ongoing replacement of old meters with prepaid smart meters has also been paused for now.
The change responds to growing dissatisfaction among consumers. They expressed concerns about high bills, delays in restoring connections after recharges, and ongoing technical problems. Protests were reported in various areas of the state.
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