K'taka Govt to open 1,000 Tele Centres

Bangalore, July 27: The Karnataka Government has proposed to open 1,000 Tele Centres on the lines of 'Bangalore One', State e-governance Secretary Rajeev Chawla informed today.

Launching Airtel's new customer convenience initiative to enable customers to pay bills and purchase recharge coupons here, he said the proposed tele centres would be opened at Hoblis and linked by VSAT connectivity. This would enable people living in rural areas to pay all their bills, apply for passport, pay taxes and apply for Katha certificate.

Mr Chawla said it was also proposed to sell air tickets in 'Bangalore One' centres and talks were on with airlines such as Kingfisher, Air Deccan and Indian.

He said physically-challenged people were preferred to be employed in 'Bangalore One' counters, in keeping with their social obligation. The number of centres would be increased from the present 87 in a phased manner as there was an overwhelming response from the public.

Bharti Airtel Limited Karnataka CEO Deepak Mehrotra, in his address, said the 24-hour facility provided easy access to customers to know their balance, pay bills and purchase recharge coupons.

UNI