UPERC: Smart prepaid meter not mandatory | Lucknow News
Lucknow: The UP Electricity Regulatory Commission (UPERC) has clarified that consumers have the option to choose either a smart prepaid meter or a smart postpaid meter under RDSS for new connections.According to the commission, while the rules and the RDSS agreement require new connections to be provided through smart prepaid meters, Section 47(5) of the Electricity Act, 2003 does not make this mandatory. The Act prevails over the rules. “Public Interest Litigations (PILs) challenging compulsory prepaid meters are currently pending before various High Courts, preventing the commission from commenting on the legality of the mandate,” it said. “Until a clear judicial interpretation emerges, the commission emphasizes that having a correct meter remains a fundamental consumer right, even as the debate over prepaid installations continues in the courts,” the regulatory body added.
