The Electricity Department claims that it has made the exercise of payment of bills easy for the people but the long queues outside the few authorised cooperative banks and credit societies tell a different story.
There are many reasons why people still sweat to pay the electricity bills – the consumers in the villages have to go to the cities to pay the bills; the electricity department in Mapusa is not accessible to the public since it is situated in a remote place and one has to climb 73 steps to reach it; the department does not accept advance deposits towards payments even by demand draft from people who reside in their houses since this facility is given only to those whose houses are like holiday homes and are usually closed. Very strange indeed.
On the other hand, the water resources department of the same government accepts regular payments and also advance deposits from all consumers without distinction. Will the Power Minister please tell the people why this big fuss by the Electricity Department only? In this modern and liberal age, is such rigidity or conservatism on its part in order?
