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States » SouthPosted at: Apr 1 2025 8:17PM


BJP alleges Karnataka minister "misled" public on smart meter rules, seeks probe

Bengaluru, Apr 1 (UNI) Armed with a stack of documents, the BJP on Tuesday launched a verbal assault on Karnataka Energy Minister K.J. George, accusing him of "misleading" the public on the smart meter installation rules and "manipulating" the tendering process for the state’s lucrative smart meter project.
The BJP’s allegations also include the awarding of the contract to a blacklisted firm, BCITS Pvt Ltd, which the party claims violates the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act and undermines the integrity of the state’s procurement processes.
The BJP’s primary accusation revolves around Energy Minister George’s claim that the installation of smart meters for new electricity connections is mandatory, citing regulatory guidelines from the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission (KERC), the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), and the Ministry of Power (MoP).
The BJP, however, contested this claim, arguing that official documents indicated that smart meter installation remains optional for most consumers.
Former Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwathnarayan, addressing a press conference, pointed out that KERC’s March 2024 regulations specify that prepaid smart meters are only mandatory for temporary installations, not for regular consumers.
The BJP also highlighted that the 2019 CEA guidelines did not mandate compulsory smart meter installation. While the MoP’s 2022 notification requires smart meters for non-agricultural consumers in areas with communication networks, the BJP insisted that this does not override KERC’s regulations, which still require a separate state-level directive. The BJP argued that George's statements were misleading and designed to misinform the public.
In addition to the accusations about the smart meter installation mandate, the BJP accused the Karnataka government of manipulating the tender conditions for the smart meter project to favour a pre-selected bidder.
The BJP claimed that BESCOM awarded the high-value contract to BCITS Pvt Ltd, a company that had been "blacklisted" by Purvanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd (PUVVNL) in Uttar Pradesh in January 2023.
Ashwathnarayan claimed that the company was "debarred" for two years, making it "ineligible" to participate in any government tenders until January 2025.
Despite this, the company was allowed to bid for the BESCOM smart meter contract when the tender process began in September 2024, with the final submission deadline in October 2024. The contract was awarded in December 2024, while BCITS was still within the blacklisting period.
Ashwathnarayan also pointed out that BCITS had been disqualified from a similar tender in Assam due to the same blacklisting. The BJP leader raised concerns about how BESCOM proceeded to award the contract to a "disqualified" company, demanding full transparency and an independent investigation into the matter.
The BJP further accused Energy Minister George and senior officials at BESCOM of "misleading" the public by claiming the tender process followed central government guidelines. Ashwathnarayan claimed that BESCOM’s tender conditions deviated significantly from the RDSS (Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme) Standard Bidding Document (SBD) issued by the central government. These alleged discrepancies were said to have been introduced to limit competition and favour a particular bidder.
Key points of contention included the five-year experience requirement for smart meter suppliers in Karnataka, which was far more stringent than the one-year global experience requirement stipulated by the RDSS-SBD.
The manufacturing capacity requirement was also raised to ten lakh units over ten years, significantly higher than the RDSS-SBD’s one lakh units. Other conditions, such as the requirement for manufacturers to operate retail outlets in Karnataka and limitations on Meter Data Management (MDM) solutions, allegedly further reduced the pool of qualified bidders, the BJP claimed.
The BJP also accused the Karnataka government of "violating" key provisions of procurement laws, including the KTPP Act, in the awarding of the smart meter contract. Ashwathnarayan alleged that BESCOM had reduced the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) for the tender to Rs 10.06 crore, down from the required Rs 49.86 crore, which gave undue advantage to select vendors. Additionally, the BJP claimed that BESCOM lowered the financial turnover requirement from Rs 1,994 crore to Rs 214 crore, potentially favouring a specific company.
In light of these allegations, the BJP has demanded a full investigation into the entire tender process, calling it “the biggest scam in Karnataka’s history.” Ashwathnarayan has called for the immediate release of all documents related to the smart meter tender and urged the Siddaramaiah-led government to explain the financial implications of the project. He emphasised that the contract should be revoked if the allegations are proven true.
While the BJP continues to press for transparency and accountability, neither BESCOM nor Minister George has responded to the accusations so far. UNI BDN SSP
Tags: #BJP alleges Karnataka minister "misled" public on smart meter rules# seeks probe
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