Vansh Infotech, the private agency that is implementing the kiosks project, won an award from the state government in Mumbai today. Enthused by the award, the company has wasted no time in announcing that it will replicate the PMC in other parts of the country.

“Our initiative of kiosks for citizens' facilitation is the first of its kind in the country which provides multiple facilities at one place and the special award of the state government would help us replicate it in other municipal corporations,” Vansh Infotech Director Rohan Dudhedia told The Indian Express today.

Officials of the company, which had applied on its own for the award to the state government, received the award from Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh at a function in Mumbai.

This is the second time that the PMC initiative of information technology-enabled services (ITES) has won accolades. In December last year, the civic body had earned the international honour of the World Leadership Forum for its Auto-DCR software, building plan approval software. The Auto-DCR was later in demand from various municipal corporations of the country.

The PMC tied up with Vansh Infotech to install its kiosk at 152 locations throughout the city, through which citizens can pay their property tax bills and even get copies of non-attested birth and death certificates.

Going a step further, he said that they had introduced additional features at kiosks for payment of electricity bills to MSEDCL and bills of select mobile telephone services. They are also planning to include payment of Direct to Home (DTH) television subscriptions and allow checking of railway and air ticket availability.

There are around 70 such kiosks being installed in various places of the city, with a monthly average collection of Rs 5 crore for the PMC, Dudhedia said, adding that the number of kiosks being installed would be 90 by November-end. A publicity campaign would be undertaken for further promotion of the services available at the kiosks.