Hyderabad: Taking a cue from the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Board (DERC), power distribution companies in Telangana are set to launch a mobile phone application for the collection of bills as employees have been unable to venture out and take readings due to the lockdown.

The DERC earlier announced initiatives for people who send pictures of their electricity meters online for the payment of the bills. Now, the Telangana Northern Power Distribution Company Limited (NPDCL) is developing an app which will allow consumers in the state to do the same.

Managing Director of the NPDCL, Gopal Rao, explained that customers will just have to download the app and enter their service number. The bills will be generated automatically and can be paid online.

“Distribution companies receive Rs 2,000 crore per month in the form of electricity bills. By this time we should have received Rs 1,600 crore, but only payments worth Rs 780 crore have been made so far," said D Prabhakar Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of Transmission Corporation of Telangana (TS Transco). The electricity department hopes to resolve this problem through the mobile app.

Rao said that the app is ready for use, but is pending approval from the state electricity regulatory board. Authorities of the power department plan to make the app accessible throughout the state after the NPDCL successfully implements it.

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