Lockdown: No fee on online payment of power bills
Power consumers in Uttar Pradesh will be charged no fee for online payment of their electricity bills during the lockdown period. Instead the UP Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL) will bear the burden.
Energy minister Shrikant Sharma issued directions to the UPPCL during a meeting at the Shakti Bhawan here on Thursday. At present, banks charge a certain fee on online transactions through the debit and credit cards.
“Now, the UPPCL will pay the fee to banks for consumers who make online payment of their power bills,” Sharma said. The move apparently aims to encourage consumers to pay their bills because off-line payment are closed these days because of the lockdown hitting the UPPCL’s daily revenue collection.
The minister also asked the officials to provide power to cities and villages as per the roster and see to it that breakdowns were attended to promptly. He said this was because of smooth power supply that people were able to stay home during the lockdown. Sharma asked officials to provide sanitisers, gloves and masks to the staff engaged in maintaining the supply.