The West Bengal government has issued a directive to all departments and administrative heads to facilitate the installation of smart electricity meters at the residences of employees of the state government, public sector undertakings (PSUs), corporations, and other establishments whose salaries or honorariums are paid from the state exchequer.
Circular issued by Chief Secretary
In a circular dated June 10, the Chief Secretary stated that the move aligns with the Centre's Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS), which aims to accelerate power sector reforms and improve the financial health of power distribution companies across the country.
Current rollout status
The West Bengal State Electricity Distribution Co Ltd (WBSEDCL) has already begun the rollout of smart meters in areas covered by 103 Customer Care Centres (CCCs) out of its total network of 554 CCCs. According to the circular, these 103 centres have been identified as critical due to high distribution losses, which place an additional financial burden on the state exchequer. The smart meter programme will subsequently be expanded to the remaining areas.
Senior official statement: “Last year, WBSEDCL floated a tender to install 37 lakh smart meters in areas covered by 103 CCCs. However, the process was stalled midway. Now, it will be resumed. WBSEDCL will install smart meters at the residences of employees of the state govt, public sector undertakings (PSUs), corporations, undertakings and other state govt establishments,” a senior state govt official said.
Out of the targeted 37 lakh smart meters, WBSEDCL has installed around 6.7 lakh meters so far, including 3.7 lakh domestic consumers.
Database collection and expansion plan
According to sources, the power department will collect the database of state government employees. After obtaining the database, WBSEDCL will identify how many of them reside in areas covered by 103 CCCs before installing smart meters at their residences, and then expand the programme to the remaining 451 CCCs.
Power department official: “The installation of domestic smart meters is mandatory under RDSS guidelines and should be prioritised, particularly for employees of state govt departments, government-controlled bodies, state PSUs, corporations and other state-funded establishments,” a senior power department official said.
Billing system details
The government clarified that the newly installed smart meters will initially operate under the existing post-paid billing system, with consumers retaining the option to switch to a prepaid mode after installation.
About two years ago, WBSEDCL began the rollout of 4.8 lakh smart meters in New Town, Salt Lake and Chandernagore under a World Bank-funded project. The project was also halted after installing nearly 74,000 smart meters. According to officials, it will also be resumed soon.
