As part of its “Go Green” initiative, Madurai Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited will no longer send paper bills to its landline and broadband subscribers.
“We did away with paper bills for our post-paid mobile phone customers a few months ago. From June, this has been extended to landline and broadband customers too. The bills will be sent through e-mails and SMS,” its Principal General Manager S.E. Rajam told The Hindu on Wednesday.
BSNL has been informing its customers about the new initiative through interactive voice response calls to landline phones. “We have e-mail IDs of most of our customers and their verification through calls has been almost completed,” she said.
Instead of providing duplicate bills at 23 customer service centres (CSCs) in Madurai, Theni and Dindigul, customers will be encouraged to view the bills on the computer screen before making the payment.
“We are also sending SMS to the registered mobile numbers of customers, giving details of the bill amount along with the link to a soft copy of the bill,” she added.
Customers, who come to CSCs for payment of bills, will be encouraged to provide their e-mail IDs and register their mobile numbers for receiving the soft copies. Besides, they can also view their bills by signing into BSNL payment portal.
Also, customers need not worry about bringing the right amount for payment in the absence of the detailed bill. “We are ready to take even a lesser amount and the difference can be paid in the next bill. The landline will not be disconnected on this ground,” she said.
Austerity measure
Although BSNL claims the initiative is aimed at conservation, officials in the cash-strapped public sector telecom company say it is part of austerity measures to bring down expenditure.
On an average, BSNL prints monthly bills for around 76,000 landline, 30,000 broadband and 15,000 post-paid mobile connections in Madurai, Theni and Dindigul. “There is much cost involved in printing and papers for 1.20 lakh bills and also for envelopes. Besides, BSNL has to pay ₹3 per bill to the Department of Posts for delivery,” they said.
This will be a significant savings for BSNL, they added.
