LAHORE, March 19: The local electric supply company on Saturday became the first power firm in the country to have launched an online billing system. Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Wapda chairman Tariq Hameed said Lesco was permitted six months ago to initiate this system, as it generated a record revenue compared to other distribution companies.

He said the new system would facilitate consumers, who would be able to pay their electricity bills on internet. The online payment facility would be extended to other parts of the country as well in due course of time, he added.

Highlighting the salient features of the system, Lesco Chief Executive Muhammad Akram Arain said it would not only enable consumers to check their consumption and payment data, but also help them download and print their machine-readable electricity bills. He said laborious exercise of making bill entries in scrolls and record keeping by banks and the company offices would be minimized.

Lesco, he said, had been making sincere efforts to extend a maximum of facilities to its consumers. He said the introduction of bar-coded bills was one such example.—APP