L&T personnel install smart meters
In a bid to improve transparency, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) has initiated the process of installing smart water meters in the residential pockets of Dwarka in collaboration with private construction giant, L&T. It is providing new water meters and also changing the old ones with smart meters.
At present the meters are being changed for Radhika Apartments, Sector 14, Pocket 1. When City Spidey spoke to an L&T official, he said, “We are providing the meters, and the charges will be added to the water bill. The one-time cost of installation is Rs 400. If the company is replacing the old ones, then there will be no charges for it. But if for some reason, a person wants to retain his old meter and still have a new one, he would then have to shell out Rs 400. We intend to cover this pocket in 10 days.”
RWA president of Radhika Apartments said, “We have been told that these smart meters will provide details of consumption every day, so we can all use water and electricity judiciously. This is a welcome move by the DJB and we appreciate this move.”
Dwarka Forum, a residents’ body, is encouraging the RWAs to welcome the DJB move. The Forum is also spreading awareness through its social networking groups on Facebook and other platforms. Madhuri Varshney, the president of the Forum, and a resident of Ekta Society, Sector 3, said, “We are meeting the RWAs and making them aware of the benefits of water meters. Meter reading should now become easy and accurate, even if the house is locked. Once the meter is installed, every consumer will get an ID number against which bills would be generated.”
