Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: Getting a pipe-water connection in your house will get easier with the public health engineering organisation introducing submission of online application from September 1.

With the implementation of the plan, residents can visit www.odishaonline.gov.in, go through an auto-guide system and submit fresh application for the connection.

Officials said this would ensure a hassle and error-free process for providing connection to the new applicants. "We have already digitised the documents and started the process to make it available online. The service is likely to be available from September," said the organisation's superintending engineer C.R. Jena.

According to the initial plan, the application will be submitted online, following which an inspection will be done by the official to scrutinise it. After approval of the new application, the applicant will have to visit the division concerned for submission of the documents.

At present, the system is lengthy and tiresome where an applicant will have to obtain an application form from respective divisions of the engineering body and submit it along with required documents.

The process takes six to eight months to get over, while in the new system the timeline will come down to about two months.

"In the manual system, an applicant has to go through a long administrative process to get the connection. However, in the new online system, we are planning to lessen the timeline to one to two months. This will definitely help the applicants," said an official.

At present, the organisation has extended pipe-water connections to about 72,000 households in the city. Officials hope an increase in the number of consumers with introduction of the online service. They have also been gearing up to conduct special drive to get new consumers.

"We have decided to conduct a door-to-door drive to make people aware about the benefit of getting a water connection from us. We are hopeful that with the introduction of the online system, we will be able to increase the number of our consumers in the city," said Jena.

Residents welcome the move. "The society is rapidly sliding into an online world. No one has time. Everyone needs an easy way to get things done. At such a time, it is a wise move of the government to introduce the online service," said Khandagiri resident Jagannath Patra.

The engineering organisation has already been collecting the water bill online through the same portal.

"The state government has decided to make certain services online under the e-municipality project. The online service is an easy and convenient way. The new plan of introducing online water application will help citizens to a great extent," said an official of the housing and urban development department.

Patia resident Niraj Hota said the online service would be a major relief for all. "I had helped my friend get a water connection last month. The process is very lengthy and time consuming. I hope the online service will save a lot of time," said Niraj, a corporate employee.