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PANJIM: Power Minister Milind Naik has announced plans for introducing Spot Billing and outsourcing of its billing system in the wake of an acute shortage of meter readers.
While the Spot Billing system modalities are still being worked out, the power ministry is also looking at options of keepings its offices open in cities and rural areas during the weekends to accept payment of power bills.
Naik admitted that there has been an increasing delay in submission of bills to consumers and efforts are on to clear the backlog.
“The spot billing system will take care of the problem of shortage of meter readers and will cater to two lakh consumers in the first phase,” Naik said pointing out that it would start within the next two to three months.
There are five and a half lakh consumers proposed to be covered under the spot billing system.
The billing would be done once every two months and efforts are on to have systems in place for regular monthly billing, possibly after another six months.
The question of delay in billing consumers was raised by St Andre MLA Vishnu Wagh who felt that delay in billing resulted in consumers led to accumulation of huge amounts. He observed that when people go to the power department to verify arrears “there are no records maintained.”
The Sankhali MLA Pramod Sawant said, “If people don’t pay their bills they are warned of disconnections but no action is taken against defaulting industries who fail to pay long overdue bills.”
Cumbarjua MLA Pandurang Madkaikar also complained that bills are furnished to consumers close to the last date of payment and insisted that electricity bill payments should be accepted through Credit Societies.
BJP’s Curchorem MLA also sought to know whether the department had engaged women line-helpers and if they are engaged in climbing electricity poles. He said that there were a large number of names of women in the list of line-helpers particularly in Nuvem constituency.
In another query, the power minister said that there was no shortage of power meters for one and three phases and all such equipment along with wiring is available for consumers.
He turned down complaints from Calangute MLA Michael Lobo on this issue. Naik also assured Margao MLA Digambar Kamat to have roads redone before the monsoons in all those areas in Margao which had been dug for cabling and other power related works.
Kamat pointed to overloading of the Khareband feeder having 30 transformers and called for bifurcation done.
Naik disclosed that the PWD has been given Rs 8.36 crore for restoration of roads dug for the purpose of electricity related works.
Independent Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai, also impressed on the power minister not to treat Fatorda in isolation as it also constituted a part of Margao town and urged the ministry to have works for installing feeders done at the earliest.
