You can now get things done in comfort

You can now get things done in comfort
B1 services also through palmtops, cellphones and internet

The Hindu

If the Bangalore One (B1) centre opened on Saturday at Vijayanagar is and example, many citizens will be waiting in comfort for their turn to get information or pay utility bills.

There will be counters with at least 15 persons on duty during working hours. You don't stand but sit when your turn comes to meet them, in comfortable chairs. Every B1 centre will have a token dispensing system from where a citizen gets a numbered token like in a bank. The digital display will tell him when his turn will come; till then he sits in a chair of the sort found at airport lounges.

Waiting time

While waiting you can use a coffee vending machine, watch TV or read a newspaper or magazine; as in the waiting halls of most private hospitals. The waiting till will usually be from 5 to 15 minutes, the upper limit during peak periods. And all this will be in air-conditioned comfort.

The services under B1 will not only be available through the centres but also through devices such as palmtops, mobile phones and the Internet. For example, an SMS can be sent to a customer who has not collected a utility bill.

What happens where there is a 'technical breakdown' as it happens in the online payment systems of some utilities? When the backend computerisation in any agency is disrupted by a power failure or any other reason, B1 switches to the offline mode and customers are still served. As and when the connection with the backend department is restored the data from the local server gets transferred.

UTI Bank is the banker to the B1 project and will have ATMs at all centres. The bank will be connected to a b1 portal through which a citizen can transact from anwyhere.

The bank will be contributing Rs. 3 crores every year towards salary of the data entry operators at the centres. The bank has provided card swiping machines, fake note detectors and note counting machines at the centres. You can use credit/debit cards at B1 for payments.

Reports

As B1 systems are fully online, various useful reports will be provided to the utilities and departments participating. The Commercial Tax Department can find out exactly how much tax is being collected in specific areas.

The police will know how many traffic offenders are paying fines and where. Reports will also be made available to BESCOM, BWSSB and other agencies. On the first day at Vijayanagar, two elderly men were already waiting to pay their power and water bills. It is close to where we live and convenient to pay all our bills at the same place, they said.

Location of B1 Centres
The Times of India

Additional Commissioner (South), BCC, 9th Cross, 9th Main, 2nd Block Jayanagar.
Asst Revenue Officer, Ist Yeswantpur, BCC complex, Yeswantpur.
City Central Library, East Zone, 1st Main Road, R.T. Nagar.
Executive Engineer, Rajajinagar, BCC complex, 2nd Block, Rajajinagar.
Divyashree Chambers, near hockey stadium, Shantinagar.
BCC revenue office, 2nd Stage, Banashankari.
Magadi Road Chord Road, BDA shopping complex, Vijaynagar.
BDA shopping complex, 1st Stage, 2nd Block, HBR Layout.
Asst Executive engineer, S7 subdivision, Bescom office, Airport Road.
KEB office, 3rd Stage, Tannery Road.
Asst Executive Engineer, S-6 subdivision, 14th Cross, 1st phase, J.P. Nagar.
Quality and Assurance, BWSSB, 18th Cross, Malleshwaram.
BDA shopping complex, 2nd stage, 3rd block, Nagarabhavi.
BSNL office, 33/3, AM lane, Kalasipalya.