Spot billing will be outsourced: Alexio
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, JULY 20
In a few more months people can expect to get their electricity bills on time. The power department plans to outsource “spot billing” to tide over the problem of not being able to give bills on time due to lack of manpower.
Power Minister Alexio Sequeira while responding to the grievance raised by Curtorim MLA, Alexio Reginaldo during Zero Hour on Tuesday stated on the floor of House that the department has resorted to spot billing on trial basis. There are some teething problems though they hope to overcome them soon.
The Curtorim MLA had complaint that people do not get electricity bills on time and sometimes bills are given after a gap of two-three months. The minister said he was acutely aware of the problem. The department is not able to give bills on time because services of the electricity department staff are sought for other works even as the government was requested to intervene, he said.
He also told the House that due to late billing, assistant engineers have been directed to allow people to pay bills on installment. He also assured Reginaldo that from next month people in his constituency would get their electricity bills on time.
Lathicharge: Chief Minister Digambar Kamat clarified that there was no lathicharge yesterday when retired teachers held a morcha in Porviorim demanding that they should also be given benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission.
He said, he made enquiries and found that there were two morchas on Monday, one by government employees and the other by retired teachers who had not taken permission from the authorities. They were stopped at the highway and barricades were put which they removed and hence were rounded up and taken to the police station but released soon after, said Kamat while reacting to Zero Hour mention by the Opposition Leader Manohar Parrikar.
Parrikar requested the government to instruct the police to be careful when it’s a morcha of senior citizens.
However Kamat said there was no lathicharge but some may have been hurt in the scuffle.
