SHILLONG, Aug 2: The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has expressed surprise that the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) is spending Rs 78-crore on software for the implementation of the smart metering project.
Senior MePDCL officials disclosed the amount in a meeting with HYC members led by its general secretary Roy Kupar Synrem on Tuesday.
Synrem told reporters that the software has been procured for operating about 2 lakh smart meters the MePDCL plans to roll out in the state as part of the project.
Apart from the Rs 78 crore to be spent on the software, the firm which was awarded the contract will be spending Rs 22 crore on the operation and maintenance during the first two years of the implementation of the project, he said.
“It is because of these two components that the total project cost has touched Rs 222 crore, which is not acceptable at all,” Synrem said.
He pointed out the actual cost of the 2 lakh meters and their installation should be Rs 119 crore.
According to Synrem, the MePDCL brought this new software for the meter data collection system.
He said the state government should have gone ahead with the project after carrying out a comparative study on the smart metering projects in other states of the country. “We are not sure how much the smart metering project would be successful despite this huge investment in new software. My only concern is that if it fails, it will result in the wastage of public money,” he added.
Earlier, the HYC had thrown light on the alleged anomaly in the project cost for installing the smart meters.
“How can the project cost be Rs 232-crore when each smart meter costs only Rs 3,750?” Synrem asked.
He also sought clarification on how the cost of installing, testing and other services for each smart meter has been quoted at Rs 9,191, almost thrice the cost of a unit.
Former Power Minister James PK Sangma stated on the floor of the House on March 11, 2021, that the cost of each smart metre is about Rs 3,400 while Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said on March 17 that the cost of single-phase and three-phase smart meters excluding GST are Rs 3,750 and Rs 5,120.
