The Electricity Department seems to be on a publicity spree, typical of the present day Government, which believes more in words than in actions. Recently, it boasted of better facilities being given to consumers for payment of bills.
The facility of payment of power bills on line exists for some time now, though not always very efficient. But does the Government expect the common man to have a computer/laptop and a broadband connection? It appears that number of Banks accepting bills has been increased, but all of them accept only cash.
It may be recalled that a former Chief Minister had pompously announced that from October 2017, all Goa Government transactions would be cashless. This had only one purpose: to be His Master’s Voice, without looking at ground realities or possibilities of implementation. It appears that even where, like in case of registration fees for sale deeds, payments were cashless before, they are now being made by cash.
Formerly, there was one bank in Margao accepting cheques for payment of electricity bills of Margao area only. It has since stopped doing so. Maybe a few designated banks still accept cheques but they would take only cheques drawn on themselves and not of other banks. True, debit cards are now being accepted, but only at the Offices of Electricity Dept. In Margao, this Office is situated on the outskirts of the city, about 2 or 3 kms away from the residences of most of consumers. If designated banks had to accept cards from any bank, it would surely be a great blessing for the consumers. Whatever steps the Power Minister might have taken to mitigate consumers’ hardships, it ultimately means that the Government is bent upon perpetuating the cash system. If the Government has really put in place better systems to help consumers, they should issue a Press release for information of consumers.
So, what is the Power Minister bragging about? Surely, he needs to be commended for reducing power cuts, which had become frequent prior to his take over. But still, they are not uncommon.
Another issue is that maintenance and replacement of LED street lights seem to have been outsourced. Whether the contractor has won a public bid or whether he was favoured by someone, is not known. But the fact is that service is extremely poor. Several fixtures in Margao are not lighting for weeks or months and need replacement, but that is not happening. Calls to the respective department prove fruitless. They express helplessness as the contractor is uncooperative. The excuse is that either the vehicle is not available or the fixtures are not. Generally, outsourcing works more efficiently, but not if the contractor is a blue eyed boy.
