NT Reporter
Panaji
Smart electricity meters being installed across Goa will not pose radiation risks, increase meter readings, lead to privacy breaches or result in arbitrary disconnections for non-payment of bills, smart meter project director Parthasarthy Krishnan said on Thursday.
Addressing concerns over the ongoing rollout of smart meters in the state, Krishnan said the devices operate on weak radio frequency and emit less radiation than smartphones.
“Smart meters work on weak radio frequency and emit lesser radiation than smart phones which, by virtue of always being on hand and close to the body, have a greater radiation risk,” he said.
Krishnan also said the smart electricity billing devices offer a high level of accuracy, with no manual intervention in recording energy consumption.
“The reading will not be faster than before leading to higher bills. At the most, it could be higher or lower for consumers whose existing meter is faulty. The meters are manufactured as per BIS standards and are highly precise,” he said.
He further said that although smart meters collect large amounts of data for analysis, they would not result in privacy breaches. “The data cannot be compromised since it is encrypted,” he said, while also dismissing fears of arbitrary disconnection.
With the rollout of smart meters mandatory in the state and residents raising concerns over the project, the Institution of Engineers Goa organised a session on smart meters at the GCCI premises.
Earlier, GCCI president Pratima Dhond said smart meters would help create a reliable and sustainable energy system for the state. GCCI infrastructure committee chairman Gerard de Melo said the meters would eliminate manual and time-consuming meter reading work and reduce expenditure on salaries in the Electricity Department.
A total of 7.5 lakh smart meters are to be installed in Goa under an Rs 890 crore project fully funded by the Centre under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme. The installation is free of cost for consumers.
Speaking in the presence of Institution of Engineers chairman Austin Rodrigues, Krishnan said smart meters would also allow consumers to monitor their electricity consumption in real time.
