Titas Gas to roll out digital bill collection
Currently, Titas collects its revenue through 40 public and private sector banks
Highlights:
- MoUs inked with Nagad and Rocket
- Titas has 28,65,907 users
- Transaction cap on MFS to prevent major gas customers using digital payments
Household and minimal consumers of Titas Gas will be able to pay their gas bills from their homes, as the largest state-owned gas distribution company is all set to roll out a digital collection system in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
To make the service easier, the Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nagad, a mobile financial service (MFS) provider of the Bangladesh Post Office.
A few days ago, it inked a similar deal with Rocket, another MFS provider belonging to Dutch-Bangla Bank.
High officials at Titas Gas, Nagad and Rocket confirmed the information to The Business Standard.
Currently, Titas collects its revenue through 40 banks belonging to both the public and private sectors.
Due to increasing concerns about social distancing in the wake of the novel coronavirus, the gas distribution company has decided to collect its bills digitally.
Engr Shah Ashequr Rahman, General Manager (ICT Division) of the company, said they signed a MoU with the state-owned mobile financial service provider on July 14.
"Now, the issue is at the trial stage. We are hopeful that consumers will be able to pay the bills [digitally] from next month," he added.
Engr Ashequr said only household consumers – both connected with meters and non-meters – are set to receive this benefit.
Others, such as industrial and commercial consumers plus captive power plants, might not avail the service due to a transaction cap on the mobile financial services.
As per the central bank condition, Nagad customers are allowed to cash in a maximum of Tk30,000 and cash out a maximum of Tk 25,000 a day.
For such conditions, big gas consumers would have to make several transactions as the size of their bills are comparatively much larger.
On the other hand, it will bring great relief for domestic users as their monthly bills are within the limits of mobile financial service providers.
Currently, the state-owned Titas Gas has around 28,65,907 consumers in its distribution areas.
Of them, 99.32 percent, or 28,46,419 users, are from the domestic category.
As per the latest gas tariff order, a domestic consumer must pay Tk925 for a single-burner, and Tk975 for a double-burner.
Meanwhile, a meter-connected consumer must pay Tk12.60 per cubic meter of gas.
