Nagpur: Maharashtra’s power consumers can breathe easy — there’s no prepaid recharge system coming with the new smart meters. Amid widespread confusion and rumours, MSEDCL Director (Operations and Projects) Sachin Talewar categorically clarified that the smart meters being rolled out across the state will remain strictly postpaid, just like the traditional ones.
Speaking during a regional review meeting at Vidyut Bhavan, Nagpur, on Saturday, Talewar said, “There is no shift to prepaid billing. Consumers will receive electricity bills as usual, with the standard 15-day advance disconnection notice applicable in case of payment default.”
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17 June 2025
The smart meters, however, come with upgraded technology, allowing consumers to track their real-time power consumption via mobile apps, helping promote transparency and efficient energy use.
During the review meeting, attended by senior officials from Nagpur, Gondia, Chandrapur, Amravati, and Akola divisions, Talewar expressed serious concern over rising arrears. He directed field teams to ensure 100% recovery of pending dues by June-end and to plug loopholes contributing to abnormal losses.
Issues like inaccurate consumer mapping, irregular load shifting, and multiplier factor errors were flagged. Talewar called for immediate rectification to prevent revenue leakage. He also ordered a verification drive to curb cases of multiple electricity connections registered at the same address — a common tactic in billing disputes and theft cases.
Solar push, infrastructure upgrade on fast track
As Maharashtra accelerates solar adoption under state and central schemes, Talewar instructed that all system-strengthening work — including upgrades of substations, feeder separation, and solar village model implementation — must be completed on priority to avoid future bottlenecks. He stressed the importance of quality, adequate manpower, and material supply for these projects.
Progress on the CM’s Solar Agricultural Feeder Scheme, demand-based solar pump installations, daytime power for farmers, and the PM’s Surya Ghar Free Electricity Scheme were reviewed.
The meeting was attended by Chief Engineers Suhas Rangari, Dilip Dodke, Harish Gajbe, Rajesh Naik; Superintending Engineers Amit Paranjpe, Mangesh Vaidya, Sanjeev Wakade, Anil Wakode, Deepak Devhate; along with Executive Engineers from Nagpur city.
