The Hindu : BESCOM to launch website soon

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 09, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

BESCOM to launch website soon

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE May 8. Is ``www.bescom.org'' different from ``www.kptcl.com''? Top officials of the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company think so. The site, which is still under construction, is to be launched soon, and BESCOM officials say it is going to be a kind of online management information system of the company's workings and other details.

``With our website, we can easily access every division within BESCOM through INTRA Net for data per circle/division. So even if one division does not send the required details, we can immediately check on them,'' officials told The Hindu.

Its parent company's site, ``kptcl.com'', has been functional for over two years now. And incidentally, it came into being with almost the same objective.

It too has statistical information, company history and origins, grievance redressal mechanisms, etc.

The City-based Indus Valley created that site for about Rs.2 lakhs, and the creation of bescom.org has been entrusted to M.N.Dastoor and company. But officials are unwilling to say how much the project will cost.

"KPTCL is a big company, ours is only about the districts that make up BESCOM,'' the officials said. The site will list distribution aspects, officers' telephone numbers, tariff plans, etc. "We plan to focus on the safety aspects, give consumers tips to avoid getting shocks,'' they said.

The site will also have payment options. "We are working on an online bill calculator that consumers can use to cross-check the way their bills are determined.'' Though online bill payment would not be immediately available it would certainly be offered in the future, they added.

But the question is how many customers will access ``bescom.org'' just to pay bills because another BESCOM online initiative for bill payment has not really taken off. In August 2001, the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited tied up with ICICI Bank and Bill Junction Payment for online bill payment here.

At that time it was planned to have one lakh customers in 14 months. But by October 2002, BESCOM found the option had only attracted 27,000-28,000 customers.

Yet, the officials said such a website was necessary. "We should have launched it last year,'' they added.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

Stories in this Section

Lokayukta unearths funds embezzlement

Tata Indicom scores over BSNL

'You have a defective number plate, sir'

BATF generates interest in other cities

BESCOM to launch website soon