Lucknow: The UP Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad (UPRVUP) has raised concerns over the testing process adopted for smart meters in the state, alleging that the laboratory used for examining the meters was not authorised to conduct critical tests required under the applicable smart meter standards.The issue pertains to the four-member technical committee constituted by UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) on the directions of chief minister Yogi Adityanath following mounting complaints regarding smart prepaid meters installed under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS).The committee, formed on Apr 12, includes IIT-Kanpur professors Ankush Sharma and Prabodh Bajpai, Electrical Research and Development Association (ERDA) representative Tejas Mistry, and UPPCL director (distribution) GD Dwivedi. The panel was tasked with examining complaints related to meter quality, connectivity and performance across the state.Recently, samples of 24 smart prepaid meters manufactured by different companies were tested at the hitech testing laboratory of Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Limited (MVVNL) in Gomtinagar, under the supervision of power corporation officials. An interim report was subsequently prepared.However, UPRVUP chairman and member of the Central Advisory Committee (CAC) of the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC), Avadhesh Kumar Verma, questioned the validity of the exercise.He said the laboratory holds National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) accreditation only for testing conventional meters under IS 14697 and IS 13779 standards, and not for smart prepaid meters governed by IS 16444 standards.“IS 16444 smart meters require specialised testing related to electrical requirements, power consumption, radio frequency technology, communication capability and functional requirements, for which MVVNL’s lab does not have mandate,” Verma said.Guidelines of Rural Electrification Corporation (REC), which is funding RDSS in UP, state that smart meters should be tested at Central Power Research Institute laboratories, utility laboratories or NABL‑accredited labs with an appropriate testing scope.MVVNL executive engineer Subodh Jha defended the testing process, saying the laboratory was capable of conducting the “accuracy subset” tests of IS 16444 because those parameters were common with IS 14697 and IS 13779 standards.Professor Ankush Sharma of IIT-Kanpur told TOI that the committee had submitted its preliminary report to UPPCL and found the smart meters were functioning within prescribed parameters. He added that the final report was yet to be submitted.Verma urged UPPCL to ensure that smart meter testing is carried out only at fully authorised and accredited laboratories to maintain public confidence.It’s worth noting, that TOI was the first to establish that UPPCL was charging an unauthorised amount of Rs 6,016 for IS 6444 standard smart meters for new connections based on rate for non-smart prepaid meters (IS 15884). The corporation was allegedly taking leverage on the confusion over the type of smart meter standard.
