Smart Meters-Awareness Must

The government has been stressing for the need to install the smart meters across Jammu and Kashmir, claiming that the initiative is set to put an end to the miseries of people, who received erratic electricity till now. The smart meters as per the government are going to put an end to the power paucity and will ensure that 24×7 electricity is supplied to the consumers. However, the misinformation about the smart meters has deprived the consumers to welcome the move and thus simultaneously have been moving from pillar to post to keep these smart meters away. In one such instance, people at Charar-e-Sharief Tuesday also staged a protest when the concerned department’s officials were going ahead with the installation process as they believe that installing the smart meters would push them to pay hefty charges as monthly power tariff and thus have been showing resentment against the move. Nonetheless, the government claims at the same time are contrary to what people believe, which needs to be elaborated well among the masses. Therefore, in order to ensure hassle-free installation process, the government should start making the people aware about the smart meters and its benefits so that the issue of misunderstanding is addressed well on time. The concerned department should consider organizing awareness camps with the locals to make them aware about the fresh initiative so that the cooperation of people would help early completion of the process.