HYDERABAD: Amid criticism from BRS leaders over the state Cabinet’s decision to join the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), the state government on Monday alleged that it was the previous BRS government that had laid the groundwork for the implementation of smart meters in Telangana by signing the UDAY scheme agreement with the Centre in 2017.
Officials said the BRS was now trying to fault the Congress government while concealing decisions taken during its own tenure.
According to officials, a tripartite agreement was signed on January 4, 2017, between the Ministry of Power, the Telangana government and the state DISCOMs to join the UDAY scheme. The agreement was signed on behalf of the Telangana government by the then Energy Department Special Chief Secretary Ajay Mishra, while G Raghuma Reddy signed for the Southern Power Distribution Company and Gopal Rao signed for the Northern Power Distribution Company.
Officials said the agreement itself contained provisions relating to feeder metering, distribution transformer metering and smart metering. Under the agreement, the previous government had committed to completing 100% feeder metering and distribution transformer metering by June 30, 2017, to identify power supply patterns, losses and misuse.
They recalled that timelines had also been fixed for smart meter installations. Consumers using more than 500 units of power per month were to be equipped with smart meters by December 31, 2018, while those consuming more than 200 units but less than 500 were to receive smart meters by December 31, 2019.
Officials alleged that the previous government not only joined the UDAY scheme but also diverted funds released by the Union government for clearing DISCOM debts towards other schemes for nearly five years, pushing power utilities further into losses.
‘DPR for smart metering works submitted in 2022’
They said the process of installing smart meters had already begun during the BRS regime. Smart meters were first introduced for High Tension (HT) consumers in the state. Out of 14,373 HT services, 13,983 were reportedly covered without imposing any additional burden on consumers.
As part of a pilot project, smart meters were also installed for Low Tension (LT) consumers in the Jeedimetla subdivision, including the Jeedimetla IDA and Shapurnagar sections. Out of 78,822 LT services, 8,882 smart meters were installed, again without any extra cost to consumers.
Officials also recalled that the previous government had submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) and action plan for smart metering works worth about Rs 9,308.38 crore under RDSS on April 4, 2022.
They said RDSS, launched by the Centre in 2021, was aimed at strengthening DISCOMs financially, improving power quality and reducing AT&C losses. Officials added that even before RDSS, smart meters had been installed in 29,632 government offices under the IPDS scheme during 2017-18, when the BRS was in power.
