In a move to modernise services, RPG group power utility CESC on Monday flagged off its pre-payment meters to consumers on an experimental basis.
The meters, manufactured by VXL Landis & Gyr, are aimed at cutting short a number of encumbrances, including payment of security deposits in advance.
According to CESC sources, the meters are set to witness further advances in technology, making them more easy to handle for the consumers.
Under the pre-payment meter scheme, a consumer will be required to make advance payment for a month's consumption, estimated on the basis of connected load and hours of use.
Based on the consumer's assessment, he will be required to pay in advance at a commercial rate including government duty and meter rental. The power utility also plans to extend the pre-payment meter facility to other categories of consumers in the coming days.
A coded string of numbers will be provided for such payment, which the consumer will enter into the meter through a specially designed keypad on the meter. The amount paid in advance will be displayed on the meter and with the gradual consumption of energy, the meter will continue to display the units yet to be consumed.
The supply will get disconnected automatically unless the consumer makes a fresh payment in advance and reloads the meter, the sources explained.
"The move is aimed at keeping pace with the advancement of technology and improving the efficiency of customer service," said CESC sources.
Pre-payment meters will help consumers getting supplies quickly. The meters, for the time being, would be available through the south and south-west regional offices of CESC.
The power company is also undertaking an organisational restructuring aimed at removing bureaucracy from the system and servicing its consumers better. The recast would see CESC's structure being split into separate regions which, as strategic business units (SBUs), would function as mini-CESCs and would be adequately empowered to carry out the functions better.
The recasting would also ensure that there is greater accountability for technical and pilferage losses and therefore greater cost-control and saving.
CESC's organisational structure has remained unchanged for decades. The area covered by the power utility is broadly broken into six broad zones with a commercial and a technical executive handling the commercial and technical functions, respectively.
Recommendations are sent by these executives to their seniors at the head office and the decision-making authority largely rests with the head office.
The recast would involve putting senior people in charge of each region with the region in-charge being empowered to take decisions on the spot. These SBUs would get a measured supply of power and will be accountable for:
* Power received vs power sold (ie. accountability for technical and pilferage losses)
* Number of connections and speed of new connections
* Number of breakdowns and quality/speed of breakdown service
* Consumer convenience services like number of cash offices, processing time at cash offices, prompt receipt and attendance to telephone calls, prompt redressal of billing complaints and meter reading errors etc. Unscrambling/metering of the feeder lines to each region to monitor the power being fed is already on.
