BSNL (phone) Bill payment at Mantri's

Those of us so used to paying our phone bills online or through bank so long  find it cumbersome having to go to Kelambakkam telephone exchange to pay at the counter.  Phone subscribers at Mantri Synergy have fiber optic FTTH  landline and broadband connection. For which BSNL does  not yet have a system for online bill payment in place.
To pay bills through banks you need subscriber account number. And the BSNL Accounts department say they are in the process of alloting A/c numbers to FTTH phone subscribers. When I went to Kelambakkam payment counter the other day a staffer said it would take a couple of months for them to create an account for us at Mantri's. BSNL has been saying this for the past six months. The cashier suggested we phone the Accounts Officer for further details  - 044 22500716  (Mr Radha).  If anyone finds additional info., it would help if the person share it by leaving a comment in this blog. 
Meanwhile our phone/broadband man at Mantri's Mr Aashik said, as an interim arrangement, BSNL accounts people at Guindy office can depute a person to collect phone bills from Mantri residents. Telephone revenue inspector Mr Venugopal, they say, would visit Mantri's for bill collection, if we mobilize payment from  at least 10  phone subscribers at any given time. Mr Venugopal's number - 9445013779.
Mr Nambiar, Mantri's first resident, who has been paying his  bills at Kelembakkam  ever since he moved in in Feb. last year, has a suggestion. Why not we have Mr Venugopal come to Mantri's for bill collection on a specified date ( say 15th) every month ? Maybe our association could evolve a bill collection system based on such input.

ECS payment of BSNL phone bill

BSNL website for making online payment of phone bills hasn't been functional for the last few months. So we have had to go to Kelambakkam BSNL cash  counter to make our payment.

Mr Natarajan (F block) who has been paying his phone bill through Electronic Clearing Service (ECS) has helped me get from the Kelambakkam BSNL office a mandate form for phone bill payment through ECS. Fill out details relating to your phone and bank account numbers, get the mandate form endorsed by the bank manager, and post it , with enclosures,  to the BSNL Accounts officer. Enclose with the form 1) a bank cheque leaf (cancelled) and 2) the latest paid telephone bill.

Postal address:
Sr.Accounts Officer (ECS)
BSNL Chennai Telephones
1, NSC Bose Road
Flower Bazaar Exchange
Chennai 600 001

We have e-mailed scanned copy of the BSNL mandate form to PropCare, in case they wish to take printouts for the benefit of BSNL landline subscribers at Mantri Synergy.

BSNL: 'The dialed number is busy'

This is recorded response you often get when you try PropCare landline -(2985) 6000.'The dialed number is busy', says a female voice. English isn't BSNL's strength, but this isn't their only weakness when it comes to customer service. BSNL subscribers at Mantri's, while reporting a complaint, go through a buck-passing procedure, involving PropCare, who refer you complaints regarding phone/broadband services to a private service provider, who, in turn, takes them up with BSNL Kelambakkam exchange. BSNL has outsourced equipment installation and upkeep, and the arrangement, it appears, absolves BSNL of its responsibility to ensure proper phone/Internet service to subscribers at Mantri Synergy.
The private service provider (read Aashik), who receives your fault reports and complaints, often pleads helplessness for he has no control on BSNL operating procedure. Customer complaints,routed through Aashik,(outsourced service provider), do not always get the attention or priority they deserve from BSNL employees.
If Mantri had a say in such BSNL franchise arrangement, they didn't have in mind the best interests of phone/Internet subscribers at Mantri Synergy. Incidentally, other developers such as L&T at Eden Park, and the Hiranandani's are reported to have gone in for BSNL service that provides for their franchisee setting up their own server for each residential complex.Under such arrangement customers can count on the private service provider to address customer complaints without having to rely on BSNL field staff.
The situation at Mantri Synergy is that Aashik is reduced to acting more as a post-office, than a trouble-shooter when it comes to customer service. And he is not always available on his cell. A neighbour in my block said she tried Aashik's number several times the other day, only to hear the response - 'this number doesn't exist'.

BSNL router in short supply

Mantri apartments are wired for BSNL landline and broadband connection. Wireless router that comes with the modem is however not made available by BSNL at the time of installation. Mr Aashik (9790122995) who helps setting it up at your place may tell you that the router is out of stock at the moment, and he wouldn't be able to tell you when BSNL would issue the equipment. I got mine after a month, this too, after I persuaded PropCare to take up the issue with BSNL.
Till then, you need to tether your laptop with a cable connected to the modem in order to access broadband. The router is that magic box that enables your laptop to access the Net , wherever you take it - bedroom, kitchen, the loo or the balcony.

3in1 connectivity

Mantri Synergy is wired to receive BSNL fiber optic connection.It is the first residential project where BSNL has in place a three-in-one modem that wires the phone, the TV and the broadband. They also provide a wireless router, enabling the use of laptop anywhere in your flat.
BSNL's IPTV has package of channels that doesn't quite meet my preferences. For instance, foreign movie channels we used to get on Hathway package in Mysore are not available here. Nor do we get my mother's favoured Sun TV or my wife's Shankara channel. BBC, CNN, Raj TV attract monthly tariff (of Rs.3 to 5) Poor choice of Tamil channels in MyWay package is attributed to the fact that decisions on choice of channels are taken by company executives located in Gurgaon, and they are unlikely to be all that familiar with the Tamil channels available in Tamilnadu.
Airtel DTH is a cable option that, presumably, offers better choices in this regard. They show Sun TV.
The thing about BSNL IPTV is that you can watch, on demand, selected movies at a price; some old TV shows such as Ramayana, Laughter Challenge and Yeh Jo Hai Jindagi are also on offer on demand. Besides, we have option to watch on demand (for free) what they call lifestyle shows such as Ramdev's yoga demos.
For installation and other details contact : BSNL (phone/internet): Ashik - 9790122995; IPTV (My Way): Rajesh - 8939989106 ; Airtel DTH : Samy - 9840403028 , Ashwin - 9600068900.