Carmona locals cite power Act, want smart meters to be optional

Margao: Carmona, on Sunday, unanimously opposed the installation of smart meters at its gram sabha and passed a resolution in this regard.

The annual budget and the ongoing carrying capacity study in the village were also discussed.

Villagers gathered to discuss the pros and cons of the government’s decision to install electricity smart meters across the state

Speaking on the proposal, gram sabha member Bryan Fernandes said, “We have taken exception to the government’s move to make it mandatory to install these smart meters. The Union Minister for Power, had in April this year, stated that it is optional. We have taken a resolution to write to the electricity department not to make smart meters mandatory. The consumer’s consent should be taken, the meters should not be installed when the customer is not home and the customer should be informed.”

It was also pointed out that under Section 55 of the Electricity Act, 2003, consumers have a choice regarding the meter. A resolution was therefore passed asking the panchayat to write to the electricity department on the issues raised during the gram sabha. Sarpanch Sandra Fernandes told members that the panchayat had already started the carrying capacity study for the village and said it would take another two months to complete. A questionnaire had been prepared and was being shared with villagers, she said.

“We are in the process of sharing the questionnaire and we will be collecting the data from each household with the assistance of the respective ward member and based on that we will prepare the carrying capacity,” said the sarpanch.

The annual budget was discussed. It was noted that while the income generated was limited, a major portion of the expenditure was towards staff salaries and garbage management.

Discussions were also held on improving revenue collection, including better recovery of pending taxes and fining people found dumping garbage on roadsides.