Bangalore to make paying utility bills more convenient
How many times have you dreaded the prospect of paying a utility bill. Where the electricity or water is provided by a Government department, the prospect of queuing up outside a dingy office, with a long queue and in the hot sun is one that most people shirk from doing, until absolutely necessary. Hence the concept of either the friendly neighborhood all-purpose man who will do this duty for a price, or the private companies who are making it a business to make it easy to pay utility bills. However, sometimes even the Government can think about citizens, and make it easier for them to pay such bills:
BANGALORE: Ever wanted to pay your utility bills while at a mall or supermarket? This could soon be possible, with the directorate of Electronic Delivery of Citizen Services (EDCS) likely to set up BangaloreOne kiosks at shopping centres soon.
As a pilot project, a supermarket on Bannerghatta Road is expected to have the first B1 kiosk. The supermarket kiosks will be open from 8 am to 8 pm and have two-three counters with six executives. Once the space is handed over, it will take a few days to set up the interiors.
A month ago, EDCS launched miniature BangaloreOne centres — B1 kiosks — at 20 locations across the city. The kiosks have registered over 50,000 transactions within 30 days.
It is when you read about such attempts by the Government that you think that there is still hope, that the Government is indeed adapting to changed environments. One has to see as to how many states will think of copying such initiatives.