Mumbai: Voices in BEST against smart prepaid meters

MUMBAI: Power consumers may face a tariff burden if smart prepaid meters are installed in the island city, said a senior BEST official, adding that they were three to four times more expensive than electronic meters. Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had urged states and UTs to replace conventional energy meters with smart meters in three years.
A BEST official said that to minimise the burden on 10.5 lakh consumers, they will request the Centre to exempt BEST."The primary objective of smart meters is to reduce distribution losses (and power theft), and we do not fall in that category. In fact, we have one of the lowest distribution losses (below 6%)," pointed out the senior official, adding that the island city did not require smart meters. Smart meters help power firms track consumption in real-time and keeps a check on theft.