Telangana power utilities halt popular gateways | Fusion - WeRIndia

In a move that will likely inconvenience consumers, Telangana’s power utilities have mandated that all energy bill payments be made through their official website or mobile app.

Starting July 1, payment through popular gateways and banks has been halted by TGSPDCL and TGNPDCL.

According to TGSPDCL authorities, this decision follows directions from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

The new rule will discontinue the use of payment platforms and various banks. These include PhonePe, Paytm, AmazonPay, GooglePay etc.

Officials noted that a significant number of urban consumers had relied on these gateways for years to pay their monthly bills. They explained that the RBI’s directive applies to power utilities nationwide.

The decision has sparked reactions on social media, with several consumers are not satisfied with this step. They call it a harsh step.

Some pointed out the lack of an app for iPhone users, while others suggested making the payments BBPS-compliant.

Some consumers argued that the move contradicts the government’s push towards a digital India.

TGSPDCL Chairman and Managing Director Md. Musharraf Faruqui clarified that the new payment system aims to eliminate third-party unified payment interfaces (UPIs).

He explained that consumers could no longer pay bills directly through UPIs. Instead, they must use the bill payment interface on the utility’s website or app.

Faruqui assured that the TGSPDCL app is available on the iStore for iPhone users, allowing them to make payments through it.

He emphasized that the change is designed to streamline payments and ensure security, not to complicate the process for consumers.

Despite assurances, the transition may pose challenges for those accustomed to using payment gateways.

As the utilities implement this new system, consumers will need to adapt to the updated payment methods, potentially facing initial hurdles but ultimately benefiting from a more secure and direct payment process.

Image by Cristina M Moldoveanu from Pxhere (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

Image Published on December 12, 2019

Image Reference: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/1600486