CITIZENS JOURNALIST
By Dr. Dinesh
The capital city of Port Blair, now Sri Vijay Puram, is grappling with an electricity paradox: power cuts are longer, relief is rare, yet bills refuse to shrink. For many residents, the meter never stops ticking—even when the fans and lights do.
On most days, households endure four hours or more without supply. Sudden outages and routine load shedding have turned daily life into an exhausting exercise of waiting. But when the bill arrives at the end of the month, the numbers look as unforgiving as they did in the days of near-uninterrupted supply.
Frustrated consumers are asking a question that grows louder each passing week: why should we pay full tariff for half the service?
The much-hyped smart meters, introduced to bring transparency and efficiency, have instead stirred suspicion. Based on AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) technology, these devices remotely send data to the utility provider, eliminating the need for manual checks. In theory, this was supposed to reduce human error and improve accuracy. In practice, many complain that their bills remain inflated and don’t match actual consumption. “We are paying for electricity we don’t even get. And the smart meters show figures we can’t trust. Bring back the old meters,” demand agitated residents.
The problem is not confined to households alone. Small businesses, shops and service providers are among the worst-hit, watching revenue vanish as power cuts drive away customers. Add to this the discomfort of soaring temperatures or torrential rains, and the burden only grows heavier.
Public resentment has now crystallized into three clear demands: cut down on power outages, investigate complaints of inflated billing, and offer consumers the choice to return to conventional meters. Unless the Electricity Department takes corrective measures swiftly, this simmering discontent could well turn into a crisis.
After all, in a city where electricity supply is so unreliable, high bills are no longer seen as payment for service—but as punishment for enduring the dark.
