VIJAYAWADA: Asserting that all is well with the smart meters system introduced for agriculture connections in the State as part of power reforms, Special Chief Secretary (Energy) K Vijayanand said that 99.99 per cent of the farmers have accepted the new system.
Addressing a media conference in Vijayawada on Tuesday, Vijayanand dismissed reports stating that around 50 per cent of meters fixed to agriculture connections are not working and farmers are not happy with the new system, he said nearly 100 per cent of the farmers are ready for smart meters, and benefits that come with them. He said the entire cost of the meters and their installation, which amounts to around Rs 4,000 crore, would be borne by the State government with the Central government providing Rs 1,600 crore as grants for meters and other allied materials.
“Meters are working well ever since 83.16 per cent of meters were installed for 29,000 agriculture connections in Srikakulam district on pilot basis, as reported in February 2023. The meters were read live and only 6.66 per cent were reported to have been burnt or stuck up,” he explained.
As regards to report of Prayas (energy) group on meters for farm connections, the special chief secretary said that the report was one and half-year-old and most of the issues pointed out were dealt with. “In fact, they miscalculated on cost. They took Average Power Purchase cost (Rs 4.20 per unit) instead of Average Cost of Supply (Rs 6.98 per unit) as fixed by the regulatory body. As per their calculations, per year reductions comes to 15,000 million units, while actual reduction per unit will be 1,600 million units. We are not hiding anything, every report is being disclosed to the people,” he said.
According to him, based on the Srikakulam pilot project, which is expected to be completed in two weeks time, the payback on the installations of meters will take just two years time. “In financial year 2020-21, average power usage for agriculture connection was 8.46 million units per month in Srikakulam. After the pilot project was implemented in the financial year 2021-22, the average power consumption per month came down to 5.65 million units, which saved 2.81 million units (33.24 per cent),” he elaborated.
On the difference of meter reading pointed out between feeder reading and meter readings, Vijayanand said that when the feeder readings were not taken in the first place after implementation of the pilot project in Srikakulam, where is the question of differences.
“Using meters will not only make the farmers see how much they are using and how much subsidy the government is giving. It will help address power theft, pilferage and other related issues. As it is direct benefit transfer scheme, the subsidy amount is directly credited to the farmer’s account. The entire process is transparent and accountability has been maintained,” he said.
Latest technologies like GSM, GPS, NBIoT and RF technologies are being utilised. Energy department in the State is using good technology and best systems to ensure quality power in a transparent manner, he added. “Legal action will be taken against those resorting to misleading and inaccurate reportage without verifying with the department on the issue of smart meters for agriculture connections and related issues,” he warned.
As regards to tenders for smart meter for agriculture connections in the State, he said that technical evolution was being done and tenders would be finalised at the earliest. “Every precaution is being taken to ensure neither farmers nor discoms suffer losses due to smart meters and at the same time care is being taken to ensure there are no wear and tear of the meters, shock proofing of cables and motors.”