Indore: How about pre-paid electricity connection just like pre-paid SIM of mobile phones? Doesn’t it sound interesting and lucrative?
If all goes to a plan prepared by Madhya Pradesh Western Region Power Distribution Company, Indoreans will be able to take pre-paid connection of electricity.
“The company has prepared a proposal for introducing prepaid electricity system in the city. The company is soon going to seek the State government’s approval on the proposal for implementing the new system which will cut transmission and distribution losses,” a West Discom officer told Free Press wishing anonymity.
If the government gives green signal to the proposal, Indore will be the first city in the state to get electricity like cellphone service through pre-paid recharge.
The proposal has been prepared on the basis of new smart radio frequency based meters being installed in the city. Within a week or so, the total number of smart electricity meters will reach one lakh.
These smart meters have a feature through which the supply of electricity to consumers can be controlled by computers installed in control room of Discom.
Each smart meter has a unique identity number which sends signal to the control room.
Through this unique identity number, the electricity supply to the meter can be stopped or restored by giving a command in the computer.
On this basis, the process of cutting the connection to the smart meter is done directly from the control room if consumer defaults on bills.
This technology can be used to fix supply of electricity units to the consumer by putting advance command through computer.
Using this technology, the West Discom wants to implement prepaid electricity connection system in the city. If the government gives its nod to the West Discom’s proposal, the work to implement the new system will start from January or February.
Why prepaid connection?
The prepaid connection will not only be helpful for the consumer but also to West Discom. The company will get the revenue in advance. Therefore, there will be no headache of recovery of revenue.
First in townships: According to the proposal, the prepaid electricity connection system will be introduced in the select townships on pilot basis. Residents of the townships will be encouraged to take prepaid electricity connection. Lucrative offers will also be given to the residents for opting for pre-paid facility.
