THE GOAN NETWORK
PANAJI
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday said the electricity department will be mandated to first conduct an audit of consumer load demand and notify it before restarting installation of smart meters, which the government had abruptly put on hold last week after mounting complaints from consumers across Goa of inflated energy charges.
The Goa government had suspended the project following widespread protests over billing discrepancies and penalties for load violations.
Sawant, speaking after a Cabinet meeting, said the government would not move ahead until a detailed assessment was completed.
“After the power issue, the installation of smart meters is currently on hold. I have prepared a note and will forward it to the department. The payment differences, load issues and other disputes will be taken up and resolved,” he said.
Sawant said, “the load demand of each consumer needs to be studied first, and after that the matter will be discussed further.”
The controversy over inflated bills and high energy charges had been building for weeks before Sawant ordered a halt to the smart meter project and assuaged public anger by promising a review.
Residents across constituencies had been complaining of sudden spikes in charges but the department officials were holding ground and attributing it to penalties for exceeding sanctioned load.
In the middle of last week, Anjuna residents staged symbolic protest at the Electricity Department headquarters where they served rice gruel in a “pej andolan” to highlight the issue.
Opposition parties including the Congress and the AAP also seized on the issue, accusing the government of insensitivity and mismanagement.
