Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Electricity Board’s insistence that only meters made by L&T costing between Rs 4,400 and Rs 5,130 each will pass its quality tests has raised many eyebrows as there are ISI-certified meters costing Rs 1,500 upwards. But KSEB officials denied this and said that they accept the meters of three private companies which pass the quality control test. However, when DC checked with electrical shops in the city as well as with electricians, they vouched that only meters manufactured by L&T would be given certification.
There are two meter-testing centres in Thiruvananthapuram - Meter Testing and Standards Laboratory at College of Engineering, and another one at Thirumala near Vijayamohini Mill. A consumer who went to the second testing centre was told by the staff there that L&T was the only meter that will pass their parameters as instructed by the KSEB and that all other ISI-marked companies will fail their tests.
“There is corruption in the KSEB regarding the installation of new meters. Though a few ISI-certified meters are available in the market, the KSEB will install only L&T meters which are highly priced,” a consumer told DC. Mr N. Venugopal, KSEB director (distribution, safety & generation-electrical) told DC that KSEB had not issued any order stating that only L&T meters are allowed.
Chief engineer (distribution) G. Mohananatha Panicker said that apart from L&T meters, two other meter companies, L&G and Genus Power Infrastructures Ltd, are also provided certification. But when DC got in touch with two electrical shops in the city, they confirmed that only L&T meter gets the sanction and that the two other companies’ meters fail the tests. The top KSEB management is feigning ignorance about the blatant violation.
One electric shop at Palayam told DC that the L&T meter costs Rs 4400 and that other meters fail the test. Another shop at Ayurveda College too said that though the MRP of L&T meter is Rs 5130, they sell it to the consumer for Rs 4350 after discount. “The two testing centres in Thiruvananthapuram will not give the clearance for ISI-marked meters,” a shop owner told DC.
