Headmen against smart meters in Jaintia Hills

SHILLONG, April 19: The Synjuk Ki Waheh Shnong ka Ri Jaintia has opposed the installation of smart meters in Jaintia Hills. Members of the Synjuk met Deputy Chief Minister in-charge of Power, Prestone Tynsong and registered their objection.
“The smart metres have some technical defects and they have not met all technical parameters and their functionality is not perfect,” the Synjuk said, adding that smart metres were not helping the consumers keep track of their power consumption and does not reduce energy cost.
They also highlighted the issue of faulty billing despite using smart meters and the problems in rural areas where most people are illiterate and, hence, would be unable to understand the bills and receipts sent through SMS.
The group of headmen has asked the state government to hold awareness campaigns to sensitise the people on both the benefits and drawbacks of smart meters.