JAMMU: The CCI,Jammu has called upon the Govt to address the ongoing concerns surrounding the installation of Smart Meters in the Jammu region.Arun Gupta, president of CCI Jammu, spoke with reporters at the Chamber House and brought up urgent concerns over exorbitant electricity bills. He urged the government to be transparent and provide clarification.He expressed his serious worry and emphasised the urgent need for clarification about the rising power costs that have upset the public as a result of the installation of new Smart Metres. He questioned the need to switch over to smart metres from the current digital ones and urged the government to confirm the legitimacy of these gadgets. He stressed the significance of identifying differences between the old and new power bills.The CCI president called attention to the potential abuse of digital metres and emphasised that it is the government’s duty to explain the rationale behind this change and allay the worries of customers who lack access to information about these metres. Gupta expressed concerns about the mounting of metres on utility poles, which has alarmed the people. In order to allay these worries, he suggested a different strategy, advocating that new Smart Metres be installed inside of consumers’ houses as was the customary practise. He also objected to the government’s decision to migrate from Smart Metres to Prepaid Metres in a short period of time. He claimed that this rapid change could cause excessive mental anguish in electricity customers and was a blatant violation of their fundamental rights.The CCI president urged the government to immediately cease the process of installing Smart Metres until the issues mentioned have been satisfactorily addressed. Additionally, he urged that the government create a one-time amnesty programme for business users because they are the ones who suffer the most as a result of the repeal of Articles 370 and 35A as well as Covid-19. Anil Gupta, senior vice president, Rajeev Gupta, junior vice president, Manish Gupta, secretary general, Rajesh Gupta, secretary, and Rajesh Gupta, treasurer were among the other office holders present at the news conference.
