Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Limited (KPDCL) today achieved a major milestone by onboarding two lakh smart-metered consumers to pre-paid billing mode.

With this, the prepaid consumers shall now enjoy complete control over electricity usage and convenience of re-charging their meters whenever needed.

In a press statement released here today, Chief Executive Officer, IT&C, KPDCL, Er. Shabir A. Khan, stated that with prepaid conversion, smart metered consumers can now actively manage their electricity spending by paying only what they use, preventing unexpected high bills. “They can also log on to Bill Sahuliyat mobile app for monitoring daily consumption if they want,” he said, while crediting his team on this major achievement.

KPDCL has so far installed 3.11 lakh smart meters under PMDP, all of which shall be converted into prepaid mode. It shall install another 6.85 lakh consumer meters under RDSS in uncovered areas, which shall go a long way in improving Discom’s viability in terms of error-free billing with ‘pay as per use’ facility, additional rebates and real-time monitoring of power usage.

Highlighting the advantages of prepaid billing, Er. Shabir Khan stated that prepaid meter shall alert consumers shortly when their credit is running low, allowing them to top up when power is interrupted. “Users can also easily re-charge their meters online or at designated locations whenever needed,” he added.

Extending another olive branch to the consumers, CEO IT&C said that prepaid consumers shall not be subjected to remote disconnection during weekly or a public holiday and beyond office hours of 10.00 am and 4.30 pm, even if their credit is running low, thus allowing them ample time to recharge their accounts.

Highlighting the takeaways for KPDCL, Er. Shabir Khan said that Prepaid billing ensures better cash flow for Discoms due to advance payment by consumers and gradual reduction in burden on Government exchequer. “With removal of manual intervention in meter reading and bill distribution, smart-metering and prepaid enabling offers effective management of resources,” he added.