Bhubaneswar, June 4: The Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu) of Odisha has started text message and email services to provide a hassle-free service to its 18.5 lakh consumers.

A consumer can get all information about monthly bills, payment dues and other required information through text messages and emails. In the first phase, the service will be available only to the consumers having three-phase connections and above categories. Chief executive officer of Cesu Sudarshan Nayak said: “These consumers will not have to run to the counters to know about their electricity dues. Besides, it will lessen burdens on the Cesu staff members. They don’t have to visit the consumer households to distribute the bills. After registering their name, a consumer will get the bill at the appropriate time through email and sms.”

An official said that once it had been done successfully, the services would be extended to other category customers. The consumers can also pay their electricity dues through the Internet and at computerised bill collection centres at various areas within the Cesu’s jurisdiction. “The forms are available at offices of the junior engineers, apart from sub-divisional offices and division offices,” he said, adding that it could also be downloaded from the Cesu website — cesuodisha.com.

To get the service, the consumers in Cuttack, Puri, Dhenkanal, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Jajpur, Angul, Nayagarh and Khurda will have to submit the details regarding consumer names, numbers, mobile telephone numbers and email addresses on the prescribed forms to their local electricity sections and sub-divisions for free registration. Once the registration is over, the consumer will get such information regularly from Cesu, he said.

Cesu collects around Rs 30 crore as its dues per month. At present, consumers get their monthly bills when the Cesu agents visit them and check the reading on the electricity meters. Thereafter, the consumer has to visit the electricity office and pay the bill before the prescribed rebate date to get the discount.

This often leads to long queues, and hence, bill payment becomes an uncomfortable experience for the consumer.