Team Herald
MAPUSA: The consumers from Mapusa have claimed that absence of card swipe facility at the Public Works Department office, water supply section, is causing them inconvenience since they are forced to travel bank to bank for cash payment of water bills.
It is learnt that the department’s office at Mapusa only accepts payment of water bills through Cheque or Demand Draft and not through cash. If the consumers want to make cash transactions then there are different cooperative banks listed, where they accept cash payment of bills. However, the consumers claim that all these cooperative banks are not familiar to them nor they know the exact location due to which they are forced to roam about finding the locations.
The consumers alleged that while the government is talking about cashless transaction, the government should make card swipe machine available, at the department’s office for the payment of bills.
A consumer from Mapusa, Hemant Korgaonkar said, “I visited four different credit societies who used to accept water bills initially and now have stopped accepting bills. Later, I went to the department’s office Mapusa where they accept only Demand Draft or cheque. I got bill of Rs 103, how can the government expect the consumer to first visit the bank get Demand Draft and then make the payment. When the government is taking about cashless transaction, they should make provision of card swipe facilities for the payment of bills at the department’s office instead of making the consumer run around.”
“Also not everyone will have Cheque or time to stand in the queue first at the bank for Demand Draft and then again stand in queue at the department’s office for payment of bills,” Korgaonkar added.
