Inflated water bills will be a thing of the past as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is developing a software that will digitally calculate water consumption through meters, and instantly generate bills on the consumer’s registered mobile and email.
It believes that the digital method will boost revenue and transparency, plug manual errors, and ensure timely payment.
Currently, a BMC employee visits several properties in a day to note down readings from water meters. He returns to office, feeds the numbers into a computer and calculates the bill amount.
The amount is verified by senior officials and the bill is then sent it to the user by post.
With the digital technology, a device will be attached to the meter that will calculate units and immediately send the bill in real time. This will be sent to the user’s mobile and email, enabling then to pay the bill on the spot. The BMC also plans to tie up with an e-wallet platform, Paytm.
A senior civic official from the hydraulics department said, “This will expedite recovery of pending bills by several days or even months. It will also reduce human errors and corruption, streamline BMC’s water tax data. In addition, citizens need not visit the nearest ward to pay the bill.”
{{/usCountry}}A senior civic official from the hydraulics department said, “This will expedite recovery of pending bills by several days or even months. It will also reduce human errors and corruption, streamline BMC’s water tax data. In addition, citizens need not visit the nearest ward to pay the bill.”
{{/usCountry}}Despite its efforts to recover dues, the BMC is owed more than Rs500 crore. Some of the reasons cited by consumers include not non-receipt of the bill or disproportionate tax.