3 min readLucknowMay 4, 2026 05:30 AM ISTA protest against smart meters held by AAP workers at Shakti Bhavan in Lucknow, Sunday. (PTI)In Fatehpur, smart meters were dumped at a local power station. In Agra, women threw them onto the streets. In Aligarh, Firozabad and Hathras, people marched to substations with the meters held aloft.Across districts in Uttar Pradesh, unrest is growing among electricity consumers over “smart” prepaid meters. While authorities present prepaid metering as a nationwide reform to improve billing efficiency and reduce losses, many consumers see it as a coercive shift bringing higher charges and abrupt disconnections without safeguards.According to sources, the protests gathered pace after automatic disconnections began in March, while conflicting readings of policy—across the Electricity Act, regulatory guidelines and recent statements by Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar—have deepened uncertainty, turning a technical transition into a political and public flashpoint across the state.“In my 25 years of working for electricity consumers, I have never seen protests of this scale,” Avadhesh Kumar Verma, chairman of the consumer pressure group Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Consumer Council and a member of Central and State Electricity Advisory committees, told The Indian Express.The protests have also become a political flashpoint, with the Opposition seeking to corner the Yogi Adityanath government ahead of next year’s Assembly election. Samajwadi Party chief and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav framed the issue as corruption.“The public is being fleeced under the pretext of installing ‘smart meters’. The implementation of smart meters has become a vehicle for large-scale fraud. If such dishonesty is possible with smart meters, how can Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) be considered secure? Why would it not be possible to manipulate EVMs as well?” he told reporters in Lucknow. While Uttar Pradesh State Electricity Consumer Council alleges that “forced shift to prepaid mode” led to the protest, officials from the power corporation say they are following the directions of the central government.Amid the escalating situation, power corporation officials worked through Sunday to address grievances and clarify doubts on smart meters and prepaid billing guidelines.Story continues below this adThe government has paused new installations in an attempt to contain protests, but demonstrations have continued. Confusion persists over whether prepaid meters can be made mandatory under the Central Electricity Authority’s 2022 guidelines.In Parliament last month, Khattar clarified that prepaid smart meters are not mandatory for all consumers and are not being forced on households. Verma said this fuelled protests.“Out of 85 lakh installed smart meters in UP, nearly 75 lakh consumers have shifted to prepaid mode without proper consent — a violation of the Electricity Act, 2003.” This week, as criticism grew, UP’s Power Minister A K Sharma hit back at the Opposition, accusing them of “doing politics” over smart meters. He also said that electricity supply had “improved drastically” after smart meters were installed. He also dismissed allegations of higher power bills, saying “machines are not biased”. According to UPPCL Director (Commercial) Prashant Verma, of the state’s 3.6 crore consumers, around 85 lakh smart meters have been installed, with about 5 lakh checked following complaints. “The issues related to automatic disconnections since March have been taken up, with some relief given to small domestic consumers,” he said.Maulshree Seth is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express, based in Lucknow. With over 15 years of experience in mainstream journalism, she has built a formidable reputation for her on-ground reporting across Uttar Pradesh. Her expertise spans a wide array of critical beats, including state politics, governance, the judiciary, and rural development. Authoritativeness Maulshree’s work is characterized by depth and historical context. Her coverage of high-stakes state elections and landmark judicial rulings has established her as an authoritative voice on the intersection of law and politics in Northern India. She is frequently recognized for her ability to gain access to primary sources and for her nuanced understanding of the socio-economic factors that drive the world's most populous sub-national entity. Trustworthiness & Ethical Journalism Her reporting is rooted in rigorous fact-checking and a steadfast dedication to neutral, unbiased storytelling. By prioritizing field-based verification—often traveling to the most remote corners of the state—she ensures that her readers receive a truthful and comprehensive view of events. ... 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