Nagpur: The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday issued notices to key officials of the Union and Maharashtra State Governments in connection with the controversial installation of prepaid electric smart meters across the state.
Notices were served to the Principal Secretaries of the Energy Departments at both Centre and State levels, the Chairman and Managing Director of Power Finance Corporation, and Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL). The court has directed them to submit their responses within three weeks.
The directives came during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Vidarbha Electricity Consumers Association. The matter was heard by a division bench comprising Justice Nitin Sambre and Justice Vrushali Joshi.
The PIL contends that electricity meters in the state have already been replaced multiple times over the past two decades—from electromagnetic to electronic, and then to digital meters. It argues that imposing a fourth upgrade to smart meters is both unnecessary and wasteful, given that the existing digital meters are functioning efficiently.
The petition also highlights that while the Central Government has sanctioned a 60% subsidy for the installation of smart meters and the State will bear the remaining 40%, the move could result in significant financial and environmental losses due to the disposal of existing meters. Furthermore, the change could cause mental stress to consumers.
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