Meghalaya moves ahead on smart meter project

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya government has taken a major step toward modernising its power distribution network, with Power Minister AT Mondal informing on Tuesday that the tender for the state’s smart meter project under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) has been awarded. The issuance of the Letter of Intent (LOI) is expected shortly.

“We have already awarded the tender. The LOI will be issued very soon. We will engage with consumers to ensure smooth implementation of smart meters,” Mondal stated.

Acknowledging public concerns, Mondal noted that apprehensions are common with the introduction of new technology. “Naturally, whenever a new system is introduced, there is hesitation—not just with smart meters, but with any innovation. Other states also faced similar challenges, but those were eventually resolved and the meters were implemented successfully.”

He admitted that Meghalaya is trailing in the rollout. “We are among the states still lagging behind in implementing smart meters. We couldn’t finalize the tender earlier due to complications, including some companies being blacklisted.”

Mondal also flagged this issue with the Ministry of Power. “I raised this concern before the Union Power Minister. Often, we discover a company is blacklisted only at the final stage of tendering.”

In response, the Union Minister assured immediate action. “He directed that a dedicated portal be created to list blacklisted firms, so they can be screened early in the tendering process,” Mondal said.

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