The federal government plans to put smart meters on transformers across DISCOs, the power distribution companies that supply electricity to homes and businesses, in a bid to reduce electricity theft and overbilling. Ahad Cheema, the federal minister for economic affairs, said so on Tuesday, November 10, after chairing a meeting in Islamabad on the DISCOs. For households, the stated aim is more accurate bills and protection from inflated charges.
What the meeting covered
The meeting reviewed development programmes for the DISCOs and the progress each company has made in lining up money for the smart metering system. Participants said headway had been made in arranging funding for smart meters on transformers, a step the Economic Affairs Division (EAD) is working to secure. Those present described the progress as encouraging. The system is meant to make billing more precise, reduce theft and shield consumers from being overbilled. No cost figure or completion date was announced, so what happens next depends on completing the funding and the privatisation process.
Privatisation and who will run the project
The minister said the plan for smart meters on transformers across DISCOs will continue even as the companies are sold to private owners. The government will set up arrangements so that private investors carry the work forward. Talks with multilateral development partners, the international lenders that finance development programmes, will continue until privatisation is complete. If a DISCO is sold while those talks or preparations are still under way, the related financing will pass to the new owner at handover, under agreed terms.
Any new project a private investor takes on inside a DISCO has to be tendered openly and, where it applies, cleared by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), the sector regulator. Cheema stressed that privatisation should not push extra costs or pressure onto consumers. He said the approach was meant to protect the interests of consumers, investors and the government alike. The state would facilitate the process and require investors to honour their financial and contractual duties. The power minister, Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari, and the prime minister's privatisation adviser attended, along with senior officials from several ministries.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Government DISCOs ke transformers par smart meters lagane ka plan bana rahi hai, taake bijli chori aur zyada bill ka masla kam ho. Ahad Cheema ke mutabiq is ke liye funding ka intezam ho raha hai, aur privatisation ke baad bhi yeh project private investors aage barhayenge. Aam gharon ke liye iska matlab yeh hai ke bills zyada durust hon aur bila wajah charges ka khatra kam ho. Abhi lagat ya kaam shuru hone ki tareekh ka elaan nahin hua.
