‘Smart meter issue sorted but govt open to hear concerns’

SHILLONG, Aug 4: As concerns over the alleged anomalies in the smart meter project continue to be flagged, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has asserted that an inquiry report has been prepared and the charges of anomalies could not be substantiated.
He, however, said if there are any concerns that need to be addressed, the state government and Minister in-charge of Power, Prestone Tynsong, can be reached for discussions. “There has been an independent inquiry into this whole thing after the demand was put in and it has come out that there is nothing. If people want another inquiry, how long will this go on?” said Sangma.
The HYC had earlier expressed surprise over the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL) spending Rs 78-crore on software for the implementation of the smart metering project.
The group had also thrown light on the alleged anomaly in the project cost for installing the smart meters earlier.
“How can the project cost be Rs 232-crore when each smart meter costs only Rs 3,750?” HYC general secretary Roy Kupar Synrem had said. 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.