KSEB pitches for single shift payment counters

Thiruvananthapuram: As more consumers opt for online payment of electricity bills, over the counter payment of electricity bill at KSEB section offices continue to register a sharp decline. Following this, the board has decided to introduce single shift payment counter facilities in 75 more electrical sections all over the state.
The full board meeting of KSEB has decided that cash counters at electrical section offices where over the counter, bi-monthly, transaction is less than 12,000, the working time be rearranged into a single shift as per which the counters would be open from 9am to 4pm, instead of 8am to 6pm. At offices that enrol into the single shift system would have only one cashier to manage the counter. The board had introduced the single shift at 174 section offices in 2018.
“The online transition is picking up in lighting speed. The HT/EHT consumers who make around 35% of power consumers of the board make payments only via online. The board doesn’t accept their payments over the counter. Of the other 65% of consumers, majority of them domestic consumers, more than 35% is now paying their bills using online facilities,” said KSEB chairman and managing director N S Pillai.
The full board meeting of KSEB, last week, decided to keep on a close watch on the dwindling over the counter bill payments and on the basis of the outcome introduce single shift system in all section offices where the average number of monthly counter transactions fall below 6,000.