Calcutta, Sept. 15: Standing in a long queue to pay an electricity bill could soon become a thing of the past for consumers in areas served by the West Bengal State Electricity Board (WBSEB).

For the past seven months, several residents of LA block in Salt Lake have been paying their electricity bills through the board’s automated teller machines (ATMs) during their morning walk or evening stroll.

Buoyed by the overwhelming response from the consumers, the WBSEB is set to install 10 more ATMs across Bengal within a month to cater to its 52 lakh customers.

According to WBSEB officials, the ATM counters, will receive payment for electricity bills either in cash or by cheque and will instantly provide receipts.

“The technique is a unique one in eastern India. After successful operation in Salt Lake, we are going to install such a system at Santiniketan on Friday,” said N. Majumder, a senior WBSEB official. The machines have been named Sevok (one who serves).

The machines will be installed at cash collection offices of commercial divisions of the electricity board across Bengal, an official said. “Under each commercial division, there are several cash offices. Initially, we shall install such ATMs in some select cash offices, which are connected with the divisional office. Customers willing to pay the bill have to enter their customer identity number using the touch-screen and either pay in cash or cheque. They will receive the receipts instantly.”

The counters will be open from 7 am to 9 pm every day. “We want to introduce a fixed time for collection of the cash for security reason. Later, it will be operational round the clock,” said U. Mukherjee, an official associated with the project.

After Salt Lake and Santiniketan, the machines will be installed at Garia, Siliguri, Behala, Burdwan, Siuri, Benachiti in Durgapur, Howrah and Kharagpur within a month, officials said.