Pay with cards, get tokens at Bevco outlets shortly

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Beverages Corporation (Bevco)  is initiating a slew of measures, including card payment facility, opening of additional counters and token system to manage the rush at its retail outlets. The card payment facility will be launched within a week or two. Initially,  it will be installed at about 30 premium and self-service outlets and  extended to all the 210-odd outlets  within a few months. A public sector bank will introduce the card payment system and there won’t be any service charge for customers, said  Bevco sources.

Beverages Corporation managing director H. Venkatesh said that efforts were being made to reduce the  rush at retail outlets.  It may be recalled that the High Court had recently directed the corporation to  avoid long queues in front of Bevco outlets causing inconvenience to nearby shops also.  Mr. Venkatesh said that the scope of opening additional counters at more shops as well as introduction of token system and providing chairs was being looked into.

About 150 additional counters were opened at  shops after the closure of many outlets in April. The corporation is also planning to experiment with the token system at some shops. Meanwhile, the corporation has also initiated the installation of surveillance cameras at its outlets in a phased manner beginning with Thiruvananthapuram. The cameras would be installed inside the counters and  on the premises.