Shops and homes in select areas of Maharashtra would soon need to pay in advance for electricity they use, with the launch of the prepaid electricity meters.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar formally launched the scheme at Mantralaya on Tuesday.
The Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission has approved introducing prepaid electricity meters on a pilot basis.
In the first phase, the state electricity distribution company will install 25,000 prepaid meters at Pune, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Pen, Kalyan, Kolhapur, Mahabaleshwar, Matheran and Chikhaldara.
Customers using such meters would need to buy electricity using a card. Customers will get five per cent discount and can avail the online recharge option.
The meters will be installed free of cost in shops and residences where electricity usage is comparatively low.
Ajoy Mehta, managing director of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited and energy secretary Subrat Ratho were present on the occasion.
