CHENNAI: In the first week of March, the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) will receive 4 lakh meters to replace the defective ones. A senior official told The New Indian Express a total of 1.14 lakh meters are defective across the state as of February 20, adding considering the state’s population of over 3 crore power users, such setbacks are unavoidable.
The official added once the new smart meters are installed, the problem will be sorted out. He said the tender for smart meters will be floated by the end of March. According to data accessed by The New Indian Express, the Tiruchy region is on top with 15,658 defective meters, followed by Thanjavur (15,153) Vellore (15,012) and Kanchipuram (14,039).
An official source pointed out the defective meters have been affecting the power utility’s income drastically. He said though they conveyed the message to the state government, lack of fund had delayed the replacement process. “Before April, all defective meters will be changed,” he said.
S Karthikeyan, 54, a resident of Chengalpattu, told The New Indian Express since his electricity meter had not been working for the past four months, he had to pay Rs 1,500 as electricity charges based on his previous power consumption.
“Even though my power consumption is very low for the last couple of months, the utility forced me to pay higher charges. I registered a few complaints through Minnagam, a centralised consumer care cell, but to no avail,” he added. He requested the power utility to take steps to install a new meter or repair the old one.