Smart meters error-free, no excessive bills issued: Div Com Jammu

Jammu, Aug 25: Divisional Commissioner Jammu, Ramesh Kumar on Friday said that smart meters are error-free and no excessive bills are being served to the consumers, and, with regards to toll collection at Sarore Toll, he added that the issue will be resolved within a couple of days.
The toll collection at Sarore Toll Plaza in Jammu after the washing away of a big stretch of the Jammu-Pathankote Highway and smart meters have been the burning issues in Jammu since the past some time.
The Yuva Rajput has also been protesting for suspension of toll collection since the past some days. The Chamber of Commerce and Industries (CCI)-Jammu, with support of Bar Association-Jammu and civil society has given a bandh call for Saturday. Responding over these issues in a press conference at his office, the DivComm said that the issues have already been discussed with the protesting groups and there is no point in agitating.
“The smart meters are people friendly and are aimed at empowering the consumers,” the Divisional Commissioner said, while adding, “no excessive bills are being served to the consumers and the smart meters are absolutely error free”.
He said that grievance cells have been constituted to address the concerns and complaints of the consumers regarding smart meters. “We have so far received 200 complaints and 185 of them have been resolved,” he said. The excessive bills in some cases are due to pendency and not due to smart meters, he said.
The Divisional Commissioner also allayed the apprehensions that the smart meters are pre-paid meters. “These are not pre-paid meters,” he said, while adding, “First these smart meters will be saturated, verified and people’s feedback sought and then we will proceed forward for pre-paid mode”. As of now, he said we are not going for the pre-paid mode of the smart meters as is being propagated. He said that smart meter concept is not a new one in J&K as these are all across the country.
“The smart meters are aimed at empowering the consumers,” he said, while adding, “The aim of Government of India (GoI) is to bring down Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses to 20% by way of these smart meters”.
Regarding toll collection at Sarore Toll Plaza, he said that the team of NHAI will be visiting here within 2-3 days. “We expect that relaxation will be given in toll collection soon,” he said. Responding to a query about detention of YRS members, ADGP-Jammu, Mukesh said, “They have been detained for “breach of peace”. He said, “The roads were blocked and stones were pelted which amounts to breach of peace after which some people were arrested”. If someone guarantees and assures that it will not be done again, we will release the detained people, the ADGP said.