Friends Janasevana Kendram, the single-window remittance centre opened by the IT Mission in Kozhikode in 2001, is now surviving at the mercy of a few senior citizens who find it difficult to handle electronic transactions using their personal computers or mobile phones.
The students under Calicut University too maintain their bond with the centre as it still accepts fees without any processing charge.
For the rest, the utility payment service introduced at a time of poor internet penetration continues to be an outdated option now.
Those who frequented the Kozhikode unit along Rajaji Road for KSEB and water authority bill payments currently do it independently using other convenient web or app payment services. As a result, the monthly collection at this centre too is on a steady decline making the survival a tough challenge in the days to come.
Collection plummets
The total collection that was ₹28.88 crore in 2015 came down to ₹21 crore in 2016. In the subsequent year, it was just ₹17.95 crore. Last year, it again came down to ₹15 crore. There were even months when there were no transactions at all using the facility.
Same was the case with the number of employees appointed to take care of the service. The number of staff has come down from 13 to four within the past five years.
Officials in charge of the project say the mushrooming of private e-service centres and the entry of a large number of payment gateways have made its impact on the Janasevana kendram.
When the utility service was introduced in 2001, the online payment apps or similar e-services were unheard of. Now, the situation has changed with the entry of high-speed Internet services and multiple payment portals, they point out.
Project manager Prajith Lal says the facility is exploring all possible options for expanding its services to suit the need of the public in the modern era.
“We are waiting for clearance from the Revenue Department to resume some of its previously cancelled payment services through the Friends Janasevana kendram. Also, we may get government aid to renovate the existing office at a project cost of ₹9 lakh,” he adds.