UP govt rolls back smart prepaid electricity meter system, all users shifted to postpaid

Uttar Pradesh will discontinue its smart prepaid electricity meter system and convert existing devices to postpaid mode, the state government has said.

In a detailed order issued on May 6, Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) Managing Director Nitish Kumar directed all distribution companies and KESCO Kanpur to immediately switch all smart prepaid meters to postpaid mode through the central RMS backend system.

Bills for electricity consumed in May, payable in June, will be generated under the postpaid system, the order said.

The decision comes amid mounting complaints from consumers in several districts over alleged excess billing and irregularities linked to smart prepaid meters.

Energy Minister A K Sharma said the decision was taken on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath “in view of consumer convenience and grievances”, according to an official statement.

“A few days ago, we decided that all smart pre-paid meters will now function just like post-paid meters. This is the order for the same,” Sharma posted on X in Hindi.

He also assured consumers that special camps would soon be organised in different areas to address complaints related to electricity bills.

Under the revised arrangement, all smart postpaid bills will be sent to consumers through SMS and WhatsApp, while bills are to be generated by the 10th of every month.

Consumers would continue to get a 15-day payment window, followed by a seven-day notice period before disconnection.

The order said that in cases where automatic readings are not received due to communication or network issues, manual readings would be taken through Advanced Metering Infrastructure Service Providers (AMISPs) to ensure bills are issued on time.

Consumers who do not receive bills through SMS or WhatsApp will also be able to access them through designated WhatsApp chatbots or the IVRS helpline 1912.

The state government has also decided that all new electricity connections through smart meters will henceforth be issued only in postpaid mode.

The order further stated that security deposits, which had earlier been adjusted when consumers were shifted to prepaid billing, would now be reimposed in four equal instalments beginning from bills generated in July 2026.

UPPCL has directed all discoms to organise special complaint resolution camps at offices of Executive Engineers and Sub-Divisional Officers from May 15 to June 30 for disposal of smart meter-related complaints.

The rollback follows months of protests in several districts, where consumers alleged excess billing and irregularities linked to prepaid smart meters. In some places, residents reportedly removed meters from homes and dumped them outside government offices and public intersections.

Avadhesh Kumar Verma, a member of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission’s advisory committee and head of the Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad, welcomed the decision but said it came too late.

"About 83 lakh families in the state had smart prepaid meters installed in their homes and they faced difficulties for a long time while people like us kept fighting legal battles over the issue," Verma said.