Faulty Electricity Meters: A Financial Burden on People and DISCOMs

Hyderabad, January 27: Faulty electricity meters are causing a financial burden on the people and the electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs).

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An average of 2,000 meters are being burnt out every day across the state or are being damaged due to technical problems. Last year (2023-24), DISCOMs replaced 7,05,820 new meters. In the first half of this year (2024-25), nearly 3 lakh meters were replaced.

There are North and South Telangana DISCOMs in the state. The southern DISCOM area, which is centered in Hyderabad, has a high number of industries as well as household electricity connections, so the number of meters burnt out is high here.

Last year, 2.10 lakh meters were burnt out in the state, of which 1,63,915 were within the southern DISCOM area. The highest number of meters burnt out in the state was in Medak district with 37,510 and 31,695 meters in Nalgonda last year.

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Meter Issues In Hyderabad

In Hyderabad, where IT industries are prevalent, 8,000 meters were burnt out in the Banjara Hills and Cyber City electricity circles alone, while more than 15,000 meters had to be replaced due to technical problems. If a meter burns out, the consumer has to pay up to Rs. 2,000.

However, if it is technically faulty, the DISCOMs are replacing it free of charge. The burden is on the discoms to that extent.

Electricity staff who inspected the field said that meters are burning mainly due to overload and are not working in many places. It was found that meters are burning more due to the use of inferior electrical wires and other equipment. Other reasons include using meters with low load capacity, and consuming more current, and using poor quality service wires without replacing them.

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Recently, the number of appliances running on electricity in homes and commercial establishments has increased dramatically. Due to this, the load is increasing exponentially.

For example, on the 22nd of this month, the highest daily electricity demand in the state was recorded at 14,785 megawatts. This is the first time in the history of Telangana that daily demand has been recorded at this level in January. The main reason for the increase in demand during winter is the high electricity consumption for all categories of connections. The load is increasing exponentially not only in cities but also in villages. Electricity staff found that meters burned more last year in Nizamabad, Nirmal, and Jagtial districts, which have predominantly rural areas. (Maxim News)

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