CHENNAI: The number of people paying power bills online has gone up by 8.54per cent in June compared with previous months, though only 30 per cent of all TANGEDCO consumers pay their bills online.
Of the nearly three crore power consumers across Tamil Nadu, 91,44,267 paid their bills online in February and March. This has gone up to 99,25,520 in June.
According to Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO) data for three months accessed by The New Indian Express, online payment has gone up by 11.80 per cent in Thiruvannamalai region, which topped the table in online payments. North Chennai ranked last with just 5.23 per cent of consumers paying their bills online.
TANGEDCO officials said there were several types of online payment modes, including the power utility’s own mobile application, quick pay, net banking, and payment apps. "Though lakhs of people use internet, most consumers still go to TANGEDCO's direct collection centres to pay their bills. We have displayed boards in all direct collection centres about online payment modes. Employees will also clear consumers’ doubts about online payments," an official said.
Another official said since even residents of urban areas hesitate to move to online mode, the power utility has started an awareness drive. TANGEDCO is also planning to extend bill collection through Point of Sale (POS) machines, which is now available in Chennai, to other parts of the State, the official said.