Server issues, shortage of meter readers delay Gruha Jyothi verification in Karnataka
| Photo Credit: K. MURALI KUMAR
With rampant server issues and a fewer number of meter readers on job, the Gruha Jyothi door-to-door verification has slowed down. Launched on July 1, 2026, the Energy Department has been able to verify only around 45 lakh beneficiaries, of the estimated 1.65 crore beneficiaries.It is unlikely that the department will achieve the Herculean target within the set deadline of August 31, with only 21,602 meter readers across the State.ESCOMMeter readingsBescom7,409Cesc1,594Gescom2,156Hescom6,031Hrecs52Mescom4,360Total21,602According to the Energy Department officials, Bescom meter readers have completed verification of 25 lakh houses in its jurisdiction with only 7,409 meter readers. There are a total of 65 lakh beneficiaries in the Bescom jurisdiction, and 40 lakh households are yet to be verified.Server issuesA resident in Malleshpalya in C.V. Raman Nagar said, “Meter readers came around 12 p.m. to our residence for the Gruha Jyothi verification process. It wasn’t even half a day that the server slowed down and the app crashed. After waiting for 20 minutes for the server to recover, meter readers had to leave saying they will visit again.” Another resident in Chandra Layout said, “There are four houses in our building. While my house verification was completed, the meter readers couldn’t complete three more houses of verification due to server being slow.”When asked about the server issues crippling the survey, a senior Energy Department official explained, “At the end of the process, all the data of Gruha Jyothi is uploaded to the Seva Sindhu portal. Since, multiple utility services, including issuing of Khata under Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA), Health Department services, ration card, guarantee schemes including Gruha Lakshmi, Shakti are also captured on this portal and used by multiple users, the server slows down.”“The meter readers have been working on Saturdays and Sundays also to cover the target of beneficiaries assigned to them. They are visiting a house multiple times, even after working hours to enter details of a particular household if needed,” the official said.Decided to give upA senior Energy Department official said that more than 20,000 people who had opted and are benefitting from the Gruha Jyothi guarantee scheme have denied to give any details to the meter readers. “The beneficiaries have opted to give up and signed on Part B in their respective forms. The Part B clearly states that the beneficiary has no objection for discontinuation of the benefit to the electricity connection provided to their home,” the official said. Published - July 26, 2026 07:51 pm IST
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