Nagpur: Consumers whose electricity supply is disconnected remotely for non-payment of bills will get power restored within two minutes of clearing their dues, MSEDCL officials said on Friday, highlighting one of the key advantages of the smart meter system.Addressing a press conference, officials said the automated remote reconnection feature eliminates the need for field staff to physically visit a consumer’s premises after bill payment. Once the payment is received, the system is designed to restore electricity supply within two minutes. However, earlier several consumers had complained that reconnections took hours despite payment. Officials said such issues are being addressed as the system stabilises.MSEDCL also showcased another key benefit of smart meters — the ability to pinpoint the exact location of power outages. Officials said the technology enables control rooms to identify faults immediately, allowing maintenance teams to reach the affected location faster and reduce restoration time. They added that these benefits will become more effective once smart meters are installed across the entire distribution network.Defending the ongoing rollout, chief engineer Rajesh Naik said 6.23 lakh smart meters have been installed in Nagpur district under Centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). He reiterated that the meters are postpaid, not prepaid, and dismissed claims that they lead to higher electricity bills.According to MSEDCL, smart meters are high-precision digital devices that accurately record electricity consumption while eliminating manual intervention in meter reading. Since April this year, the utility has received 379 complaints related to smart meters in Nagpur, of which 360 have been resolved. Officials claimed that verification found most bills to be accurate and that consumers were satisfied with the resolution.To further build consumer confidence, MSEDCL has installed around 800 parallel check meters across the district. Officials said the readings of these meters have largely matched those of the smart meters, with no significant discrepancies observed.MSEDCL also clarified that smart meter installation is free of cost, consumer data is protected through secure communication systems, and consumers can seek meter testing through an AccuCheck machine or laboratory testing if they have doubts about billing accuracy.Among those present were superintending engineers Amit Paranjape, Sanjay Wakde, Praful Lande and Dipali Madelwar; executive engineers Chandan Tallarwar, Rahul Jivatode and Amit Shivalkar; senior manager (Finance & Accounts) Sudhir Tekam; additional executive engineers Parag Phate and Ajit Jichkar; and deputy chief PRO Yogesh Vitankar.