Resumption of smart meter rollout after deliberations: Dhavalikar

PANAJI
Power Minister Ramkrishna 'Sudin' Dhavalikar on Friday said any decision on resuming the Electricity Department's smart meter rollout in Goa now will be taken only after discussion and deliberations within the government.
The minister said the installation drive had been temporarily halted on the directions of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant following widespread public resistance and protests.
“Smart meter installations in Goa were temporarily put on hold on the Chief Minister’s directions. It will resume after discussions and deliberations,” Dhavalikar said.
His remarks came just hours after the Goa State Human Rights Commission disposed of a suo motu case related to the smart meter project. The commission concluded that the rollout did not involve any violation of human rights.
It jarred with the statement of senior department engineer Kashinath Shetye, who claimed after the GSHRC order that installation of smart meters will now resume.
Dhavalikar, meanwhile, sought to distinguish the smart meter issue from concerns surrounding consumers exceeding their sanctioned electricity load. He said the government's decision not to impose penalties on consumers for sanctioned load violations was a separate matter and should not be linked to the smart meter programme. “The sanctioned load issue has been addressed for now,” he said.
Acknowledging public apprehensions over the new technology in smart meters, the minister stressed the need for greater awareness campaigns before resuming the rollout. He said consumers must be informed about the functioning and benefits of smart meters through local self-government bodies, non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.
According to Dhavalikar, misconceptions surrounding the technology had contributed to resistance in several parts of the State. A wider public outreach effort, he said, would help build confidence among consumers and address concerns about billing and power consumption monitoring.
The minister also pointed out that smart meter installation had already been carried out extensively in the industrial sector in Goa. He further said that most States across India were implementing smart meter projects as part of power sector modernisation efforts. Goa, he noted, was not an exception to the broader national push towards digital metering.
The State government had suspended the rollout earlier this year amid protests from consumers and opposition parties, who raised concerns over costs, billing practices and the technology's impact on households.