MSEDCL tries WhatsApp channel for bill payment; consumers see potential & risk

Pune: The Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Ltd (MSEDCL) has introduced an initiative on a pilot basis to deliver electricity bills to consumers via a WhatsApp account.The power utility will send a message in text format to consumers with details of the bill amount and due date. Consumers can click on the link to generate a PDF of the bill. The bill will have an embedded link for making payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) or net banking.This facility will complement the existing online payment modes – the Mahavitaran app and website. It must be noted that the WhatsApp channel will have a verified blue tick to establish the veracity of the communications.Although, not yet official launched for the masses, the MSEDCL's genuine number for this channel will be 9167777791. Users must not entertain any bill related texts from any other channel.Akshay Gilbile, a consumer, said he received an alert on WhatApp for the first time and found it very convenient to make the payment. "This has been faster and user friendly compared to the MSEDCL app," he said."We are trying to step up the digitisation efforts. As and when needed, MSEDCL will keep on diversifying to the online platforms that are most preferred and user-friendly," Vikas Puri, MSEDCL spokesperson, told TOI."This method of payment will certainly improve the way bills are paid. The website payment has been an archaic system and the process takes too long. People, however, need to be alert while making payments that MSEDCL account on WhatsApp is authentic because electricity bills are the most common manner in which cybercrooks dupe consumers," Pravin Kale, an IT professional from Kothrud, told TOI.When asked about the possible misuse of the initiative by cybercrooks, Pankaj Deshmukh, additional commissioner of police (crime), told TOI that there is always a possibility that the cyber criminals will take undue advantage of this initiative. "If the consumers are receiving spurious messages from crooks that the electricity supply will be disconnected, anxious users can fall prey to it if they click on the ‘.APK' file. Consumers should take caution in case of using digital platforms," Deshmukh added.Pranjali Lalge (25),who works in the FMCG sector, said, "This billing system is similar to alerts sent for credit card usages by some private sector banks or personal finance service providers. It is high time consumer facing public sector companies followed suit. Although, they can go one step ahead and avoid flooding the chat with unnecessary updates and promotional content."An official from MSEDCL said, "In future, we are planning to introduce a facility to allow consumers to lodge complaints through this channel.The facility [for billing] started last week and is being tested on a limited basis. It will be made available to all consumers after the initial pilot phase is completed."As per MSEDCL data, there are around 3.12 crore consumers in the state.(With inputs from Gitesh Shelke)