Online power bill payments up

Tirupati: Though Chittoor district educationally forward and internet facility also reached mandal-level, thanks to the fast expansion of mobile network coupled with smart phone’s popularity, the digital payment is still very low with regard to bills payment more so electricity.

As on July, only 1.65 lakh electricity customers opted digital mode for payment of monthly bills as against a total of 12 lakh including domestic 11 lakh and commercial 1 lakh despite the mobile internet facility increasing day by day.

Interestingly, even the digital payment is mostly confined to urban area with the famous pilgrim city registering 32 per cent digital payment of electricity bill, Chittoor, though district headquarters, only 15 percent and Madanapalle slightly better with 18 per cent in digital payment as on July end while online payment is very low in other 5 municipal towns including Srikalahasti, Punganur, Palamaner, Puttur and Nagari and in major panchayats its only nominal.

Against the back drop, the Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (SPDCL) took up an aggressive digital campaign involving its field, technical and official staff which evoked good response which was evident with more than 6,000 digital bill payments on an average daily district wide against 5,000 earlier before the start of the campaign which concluded on Wednesday.

SPDCL Superintendent Engineer DV Chalapathi said the digital payment is poised to reach 18 per cent by this month end against 14 as on July and in another two or three months 25 percent with aggressive promotion resulting in more and more opting digital mode.

As part of the drive, a demo on digital payment and the 12 apps available for online payment of electricity bill explained in a simple manner to the gathering of residents in apartments, colonies and multi-storey buildings in all the urban areas comprising more than 40 per cent of SPDCL domestic and commercial consumers, he explained.

“The SPDCL staff installing any one of the available 12 apps on the smart phone of the interested customer after the demo then and there breaks the ice,” he said beamingly.

“The digital promotion would continue .We are first focusing on the two corporations, five municipal towns and the major panchayats (mandal headquarters) in the district before going to villages, as these towns have large concentration of customers,” he averred.

Besides, help desks where set up in all the offices of the Electricity Revenue Officers (EROs) where also senior officials deputed to explain the customers coming for making bill payment by cash on the merits of digital payment that avoid going to e-seva or ERO office and waiting in the line for electricity bill payment.

Chalapathi said APSPDCL Chairman and Managing Director MM Naik keen on sustaining the promotional campaign till the district reach 50 per cent in digital payment, he said exuding confident to achieve it. A field staff said a retired govt officer Raghvendra Rao in Kesavainigunta was reluctant all these days to make digital payment though he has smart phone and debit card.

Few days back, I visited the colony and installed the app in his mobile and gave demo after which he said he did not expect it would be a simple one to follow. Ramesh Babu, junior account officer at the ERO help desk, Tiruchanur road said, hinting that digital payment soon to pick up here.