Ranchi, Nov. 9: Paying your monthly electricity bill will no more be a tiresome chore.

From December 1, Any Time Payment (ATP) machines installed by Jharkhand State Electricity Board (JSEB) at select locations in Ranchi and Jamshedpur will allow consumers to pay their power bills at their own convenience, round the clock.

The machines, being installed for the first time in the state, would be on display during the state’s Foundation Day celebrations next week.

Once the machines are in place, the serpentine queues at designated public sector banks, post offices and JSEB collection centres, none designed for consumer comfort, would be a thing of the past. The ATP machines will accept payment and issue receipts in minutes.

To begin with, the machines, which are being installed in association with Canara Bank, will only accept cash, in notes. Facilities for payment through cheques, bank drafts and debit and credit cards would be incorporated later.

According to JSEB chairman Shiv Basant, consumers would be required to pay the exact amount as mentioned in the bills.

In the event of excess amount being paid, the machines will not refund the money, but it would be adjusted against the next bill.

The JSEB chief added that 10 such ATP units would be installed in the first phase — five each at Ranchi and Jamshedpur.