The introduction of smart meters in the city, currently limited to new customers and temporary Bescom connections, will soon eliminate manual meter readings. These advanced meters enable remote power consumption tracking, removing the need for meter readers to visit homes and manually generate bills.

While Bescom has mandated smart meters only for select connections, within a few years, all consumers will be transitioned as per Central Electricity Authority of India guidelines. To facilitate this, a special committee with experts from IISc, IIIT-B, and other premier institutions will be formed to strategize the integration of existing consumers into the smart metering system.

Concerns have emerged about job losses for meter readers with automation taking over. However, Gaurav Gupta, Additional Chief Secretary (Energy Department), reassured that their roles will evolve rather than disappear. “Once smart meters are fully implemented, affected employees will be trained for alternative roles within Escoms. For now, their work remains unaffected,” he clarified.

The shift to smart meters promises efficiency, accuracy, and convenience—but the impact on employment in the sector remains a question for the future.

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