Friends Janasevana Kendram, the single window bill payment facility that has been functioning in the capital for two decades, downed its shutters on Friday, citing fall in patronage.
The two remaining employees were redeployed to their parent departments, while two office staff working on a temporary basis since its inception 23 years ago, have been left in the lurch.
Friends began its journey on June 25, 2000, providing services for different departments and agencies like the Motor Vehicle Department, Revenue Department, Civil Supplies Department, KSEB, KWA, Universities, Local Bodies, Electrical Inspectorate, and BSNL. For the public, it introduced an easier, ‘friendlier’ way of paying their bills.
The employees were all deployed on deputation here from various departments. There was the aim of inculcating a new work culture too, with the hope that they will take back the learnings from here to their respective departments. The success of the facility located at the Saphalyam shopping complex in Palayam led the Kerala IT Mission to replicate the model in all districts.
On Friday, Saritha, office staff at the Palayam centre, was taken by surprise when the order came to close the centre down by the end of the day.
“We were not given any prior notice regarding the plan for closure. My husband is a daily wager. Our family, which includes our sick parents, survives on both our earnings. The IT Mission has not told us whether there will be alternate arrangements. It seems there is no worth for the 23 years of service that we put in. One month’s salary is also pending now. Initially, there were 12 office staff. In addition to cleaning and other work inside the office, we also used to carry all the bills to the respective departments, before everything became online,” says Ms. Saritha.
According to former staff of the facility, demands for increase in staff that were sent over the past few years have not been considered.
“Though there certainly has been a marginal fall in the number of customers after online payments became common, a lot of common folk who are not adept with technology still depend on us. If they go to an Akshaya centre, they will have to pay a fee for each bill payment, while the service is completely free here. These facilities have to be maintained for the sake of such people. The Friends centre at Pathanamthitta that was closed down a few months ago had to be reopened due to protests,” said a former staff member, on condition of anonymity.
In the early days, since there was no online payment facility for any department, people had to queue up in the respective offices. Most of these counters used to open only after 10.30 a.m. and were shut before evening. But, since Friends was open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., many began opting for it. Quite a few of them shared a great rapport with the staff in the counters too, because they were regular visitors.
Each of the 20 counters had enough staff to occupy them in two shifts in the initial years. The number of visitors started dwindling when the online payment systems of the respective departments became popular. By 2010, Akshaya centres began to pop up in almost every other junction, offering all the services available at Friends and many others in addition to it. Though there was a service charge in these centres, unlike the free-of-cost service at Friends, many who were not staying close to the city centre began choosing it, as it was convenient.
The police petition desk, which saves vulnerable sections from the trouble of going to a police station to lodge a complaint, was one of the much appreciated additions to the Friends services.
