The Mindset and the Digital Electricity Meter.

Bloggers Note: Vivek Sethi, a final year student of Law has written the following piece. Comments are invited...

The privatization of distribution of electricity in Delhi has not always considered as a boon for the city. The part privatization has always seen with absolute cynicism, and alleged to be detrimental to interests of the consumers. The fact, that the power theft has reduced substantially and the supply system slowly and gradually steadied, has seldom found any appreciation among large segments of the society.

Well that is altogether a different story. I just have to tell you an interesting story about a significant and often neglected aspect: the phobias that surround digital revolution. Most of the NDPL and BSES consumers I have met nurse this phobia that the digital meter installed at their premises is unscrupulous. They hysterically believe that these meters work even when there is no electricity supply. Some sarcastically suggest that if Narayan Karthikeyan could drive his F-1 machine as fast as these meters’ he shall break all previous records of Michael Schumacher.

The said phobia is in turn the result of the strong canards that are omnipresent. I had heard them quite often like any other citizen of Delhi. The increasing consumer complaints at the various consumer courts and media coverage render enough circumstantial evidence to strengthen them further.

On a fine afternoon of 24 September 2006, our panic-stricken neighbor bumped inside our house. On enquiring, he told that a new digital meter has replaced the old meter at their residence. We also learnt from his expressions that like any good neighbor he was most concerned about the misfortunes in his neighborhood. He shamelessly expressed his resentment, as he hinted that only he would necessarily face a hiked bill and not us, his neighbors.

Much to the delight of our neighbors, on 26 September 2006 our old meter paved way for its new digital avatar. So far so good, but the same apprehension started to sink in my heart, to my utter surprise, I myself started worrying about our electricity bill.

I started keeping a strong vigil over the meters readings. Most astonishingly, I started to eliminate any wastage of electricity. Initially I faced some resistance from my family members; they started making perpetual fun of me. Like the famous dialogue of the film ‘Sholay’, my family invented a dialogue, “save electricity or Johnny aa jaayega”. However, they too, inadvertently started saving electricity.

The digital meter revolutionized the pattern of our electricity consumption. The entire family readily became pure conservationist. Our efforts realized the most unexpected returns. I never bothered to ask our neighbors but at the end of the billing cycle, the NDPL sent us a comparatively lighter bill. Thanks, to the meter and the rumors that motivated us to monitor and save, as much as possible, the prestigious electricity units.

Although, I now strongly feel that I should ask my neighbors about their electricity bill. So that in any case, if they still are in darkness, they shall realize that those rumors have no substance but our efforts can bear great results for the whole country. Needless to say, “thou shall love neighbors.”