the goan I network
MARGAO
The recently launched Bharat Bill Payment Services (BBPS) scheme by the electricity department in collaboration with TJSB Sahakari Bank has created unease amongst the members of the cooperative sector.
Chairman of the Navelim-Telaulim Credit Society Melvyn Pereira and Chairman of Salcete Finance Credit Society, Borda Luis Alex Cardozo told the media on Tuesday that though it is not clear as to how the department has gone ahead by not appointing a bank from Goa, they said questions have been raised over the way it has been forced upon the societies.
Pereira said that members of the societies were shocked to receive a notice issued by the electricity department on Monday stating that “stop bill collection from February 1, 2019 and to approach the TJSB bank if they needed to continue. He lamented that the society had entered into an agreement with the department and an amount of Rs 2.68 lakh was deposited as bank guarantee with the department to enable the bank to accept bills in favour of the department.
Pereira asked the authorities that as their money was already pledged, the department must first refund their money and also their commission pending since the last one year with the department. “Though the commission per bill was a mere Rs 1.5 per bill, the accumulated commission has not been paid, while the department was very prompt to collect their amount on a weekly basis,” he said.
Pereira further said the department ought to have taken the societies into confidence before considering the new proposal. “The digitalisation process though good, the government must understand the difficulties faced by the common man and should be citizens friendly rather than creating more hurdles for the common man”, he said, adding that the department though having cashers in every division, they are clipped to a limit of Rs 5000 per bill only and the automated bill payment machine installed on the first floor of the department in Margao is a joke as it takes more time and also very often refused to accept valid currency.
