Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh government has decided to introduce prepaid meters in place of existing postpaid system to check huge amount of power tariff leakages in the state soon.
This was disclosed by Power Minister Tanga Bylaing to Arunachal Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) team, who met here yesterday, saying, the prepaid meters would be installed in the Capital Complex soon as a pilot project to plug the huge leakage of power tariff by consumers of all categories.
‘The consumers would procure departmentally identified prepaid meters whose cost would be adjusted against their bills. They will pay and consume, recharge on receipt of mobile alerts to avoid disconnection,’ he informed.
The ACCI also draw his attention about exorbitant hike of power tariff on monthly average even with defunct meters. The ACCI team including president Techi Lala, general secretary Tarh Nachung, information and publicity secretary Toko Tatung and chief adviser Pradeep Kumar, submitted copy of the memorandum addressed to the chief minister, seeking his intervention on the issue.
‘We earn total revenue of Rs 80 crore annually against an expenditure amounting to Rs 250 crore in supplying power throughout the state. While illegal tapping, defunct meters, need to install huge number of meters involving enormous cost, nonpayment of bills were causing huge losses,’ he clarified.
Pointing out that the monthly tariff was doubled on average without meter reading, when the ACCI team questioned as to who was responsible for installing meters – the consumer or the department? What is the logic behind hiking the bills on average without no meter or no meter reading?, and sought a pragmatic policy for the consumers to pay willingly, the minister assured to hold a meeting with the power secretary soon on the issue.
The team also highlighted that the Arunachal Pradesh Industrial Policy – 2008 has proved to be ineffective for numerous lacuna, including non-fulfillment of 50 per cent power subsidy to entrepreneurs and those from outside interested to set up industries and lack of single window clearance policy to issue license.
The policy drawbacks had proved a drag in catapulting the much desired industrialisation despite huge scopes in the state, he added. (UNI)
