Electricity bills can be paid via ECS

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Mar 6:  Mangalore Electricity Supply Company (Mescom) consumers can pay their monthly electricity bills via Electronic Clearing Service (ECS) within a week. 

Jayasurya, the Mangalore circle operation and maintenance superintending engineer (SE), told TOI reporters that Mescom will complete all the required formalities to facilitate ECS so that consumers can avail of it within a week. 

He informed reporters that the process, which was initiated two months back, was delayed because of minor hitches. The bank required a third party to monitor the ECS operation, which Mescom was not in favor of that. Since the bank has now waived the third party requirement, Mescom is ready to go ahead with the rest of the formalities, he said. 

Mescom has opened a bank account to enable ECS transactions two days ago at Corporation Bank. Prakash Hebbar, the assistant general manager of Corporation Bank said that all the legal formalities were now completed. All that is now required is the softcopy of the name, meter number, account number of the bank, and the amount. Mescom will have to provide this soft copy every month, two days in advance.

Mescom consumers could pay their electricity bills at any post office of India Post in Mangalore, Puttur, and Udupi. This agreement with India Post expired in August 2009 for Mangalore/Puttur and will expire in October 2010 this year. Mescom used to pay India Post a commission of Rs 5 per bill. Mescom did not renew its agreement with India Post because it demanded Rs 20 for the first 1,000 bills; Rs 15 for the next 1000 - 5000 bills and a uniform fee of Rs 10 for all the other bills. Since Mescom has 2.78 lakh consumers in Mangalore Division, 2.66 lakh in Puttur, and 3.23 lakh in Udupi, it could not afford the new rates proposed by India Post.