Kochi: The Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is planning to stop collecting cash at counters, for electricity bills to facilitate online payment.
Though online payment is already available, not even half the consumers use it. Considering this, the Board decided to implement the compulsory online payment for bills below Rs 500. Others will have offline option for a couple of more months but the officials will advise them that the option will be closed soon. Gradually, the payment will become online-only.
The Board is also mulling to end all cash dealings through cash counters and make it online. The cash counters will be closed gradually and the cashiers will be deployed to other sections. The regulatory commission has asked the Board to reduce the number of employees in KSEB. Earlier, two cash counters in selected branches of KSEB were functioning depending on the number of consumers. Later it was reduced to one cash counter with shift system.
KSEB is on the way of full digitalisation. With the latest changes, these counters will be converted to single shift and gradually the cashier post will become redundant. As the first phase of digitalising all transactions, the state power utility will stop issuing printed bills to its consumers. Instead, after checking the meter reading, the bill would be sent to the consumer’s mobile number as a text message. This is the first phase of the Board’s project to go fully digital for all payments.
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