Bihar: Technical Glitch Leaves Lakhs of Electricity Consumers Without Smart Meter Recharge for Seven Hours

Muzaffarpur: Lakhs of consumers in Muzaffarpur district and across North Bihar faced significant disruptions due to a technical fault that halted the recharge of smart meters for seven hours. The outage occurred around 6 AM when a server malfunction in Maharashtra and Hyderabad affected the recharge process in multiple states.

The electricity department promptly sent a message to affected consumers, informing them about the server issue and assuring them that there would be no power cuts for the next three days, despite the negative balances on their bills.

An official from the smart meter company stated, “There will be no power cut on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.” He further explained that the server fault had caused a halt in meter recharges and other operations. Engineers worked diligently to resolve the issue, and the system was restored to functionality by around 1 PM. Subsequently, the smart meter company notified consumers that the server was fixed and recharges had resumed.

During the outage, many electricity offices in Muzaffarpur district, including those at Ramdayalu, Madipur, Tilak Maidan, and MIT, were inundated with complaints from consumers unable to recharge their meters. The shutdown of the recharge system added to the frustration, with consumers unable to complete essential transactions.

The technical fault not only disrupted meter recharges but also brought other operations to a standstill. Engineers’ efforts to rectify the problem ensured that the system was operational by early afternoon, mitigating further inconvenience.