in a way it's good.... save processing time for applicants... else, one will be asked for RPRF by regular post which will take anything from 3 - 15 days to get delivered. Then, you would take 3-4 days for getting the DD made and sending across. They will then put it in clearing and send you the receipt. It will take 10 days... so, ND is cutting down almost 15-30 days processing time by take the fee early...
and you all can see the results on trackitt... it's the fastest and the most efficient visa office since Nov 08. The only catch is that in case of rejection, one's money gets stuck for a few months....