Power bills can be paid through Internet from June 1

By M. Malleswara Rao

HYDERABAD, MAY 27. Starting June 1 power consumers in Hyderabad and its surroundings can pay their bills through the Internet at the web-counter sitting at home.

The AP Transco, for which the Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Company Limited (APCPDCL) works as a subsidiary with jurisdiction over the Twin Cities and six districts, signed two separate agreements with the Mumbai-based Times of Money Company (TMC) and Citibank to facilitate electronic bills-clearing. The TMC has been handling this job now for the Bombay Suburban Electricity Supply Company, covering all types of power consumers in India's commercial capital.

According to information disclosed to The Hindu here on Friday by the AP Transco Joint Managing Director, Revenue and HRD, Mr T. V. S. N Prasad, the consumers will have two options--to access the particular websites to make the bill payment by registering their names, consumer number and the bank account number or to simply ring the designated telephone numbers. In both cases, mandatory verification will be made within a moment about the bank balance available under a particular account number and electronic clearance facilitated. At a later stage, this mode of payment all over the State can be thought of, he says.

The consumers, however, will have to pay an extra of Rs 15 per bill if the payment is by Internet and Rs 25 if by telephone. Mr Prasad says that this being the electronic era, the facility will help busy people and those not opting to come out of their homes for one reason or the other. Nevertheless, the consumers also can remit the amounts at the usual revenue counters run by the APCPDCL in different parts of the Twin Cities, which have on-line link. There are about 8.83 lakh consumers in Hyderabad and its neighbourhood in the existing domestic, industrial and commercial sectors, with 599 of them being HT users.

Mr Prasad stated that the AP Transco would announce its new transfer policy for its 45,000 odd employees by this month-end. He favoured a change in the policy as the current one was framed in 1997 and since then, there had been no alteration though required by the circumstances. The new policy would cover all categories--engineers, accounts and ministerial staff, linemen and even meter-readers. He refused to comment on the recent "mass" transfer of engineers from the APCPDCL jurisdiction to other discom areas.

Answering a question, he also said the trust through which terminal benefits due to the employees after their retirement such as pension and gratuity would be disbursed, a long-pending demand of the unions, would be constituted with representatives of the staff, etc. A non-drawal bank account was already opened for the purpose.

With the lacunae in the system under the reforms ironed out, the Transco was "racing" towards achieving the revenue targets of Rs 6,222 crores for the current year out of tariff and Rs 501 crores by improving internal efficiency. He said the revenue demand of his organisation touched an all-time high of Rs 536 crores for May and he was sure that they would be able realise even Rs 550 crores against this amount. Even with five days to pass before the month-end, the collections reached Rs 421 crores. While the demand for April was Rs 502 crores, they could collect Rs 519 crores, implying that the extra Rs 17 crores was efficiency gains for the month.

With regard to Hyderabad-Secunderabad, the revenue demand has gone up to Rs 608.8 crores in 1999-2000 and to Rs 758.87 crores the next year--an increase of 24.63 per cent.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : A tome on the aviation history of the Deccan
Next     : Enter NTR, Balakrishna roars!