Shillong, March 12: Power Minister AT Mondal has said power dues of over Rs 658 crore is one of the factors affecting the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited (MePDCL).
“The cumulative dues are to the tune of Rs 658.92 crore and out of this, Rs 186 crore is pending due to litigation issues which is an uncontrollable factor”, Mondal said in the Assembly on Wednesday in reply to a cut motion on power sector.
“The MePDCL is making all efforts to recover these dues which would ultimately lead to better fiscal health of the company,” he added.
Regarding smart metering, the minister said around 1,09,000 smart meters have been installed and the MePDCL is already implementing the smart meters across urban and rural areas to enhance the accuracy of energy billing, reduce human errors in meter reading, and empower consumers with real time usage data..
“This initiative helps in reducing billing disputes, improving revenue collection, and providing consumers with detailed insights into their power consumption. MePDCL is gradually phasing out the old/obsolete, faulty meters and replacing them with smart meters and the move has led to better load management, reduction in non-technical losses and greater transparency in the billing process,” he added.
