The government on Wednesday launched a revamped nationwide power-sector complaints helpline, promising faster response, real-time tracking and an end to political pressure in resolving electricity issues. Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Leghari inaugurated the upgraded 118 helpline, calling it a major push for transparency and customer care.
There is, no doubt, a complaint registration and redressal mechanism exists in all Discos but it is genuinely viewed as non-responsive and lethargic and as a result consumer complaints, in many cases, remain unresolved for days despite clear deadlines fixed by the authorities concerned. In this backdrop, the new system is an improvement in that electricity consumers can now file complaints directly into a centralized digital system, without using political contacts or middlemen.
Each complaint will be tracked online, resolved within a fixed time and verified through an automated feedback call to the consumer. If it remains unresolved, the system will automatically reopen the case. It is the first time all complaints will be officially logged, monitored and audited on a single national platform and performance of Discos will be analyzed on the basis of their performance in addressing complaints. The centralized data of complaints will enable the higher authorities to monitor the actual performance of their field staff and hold them accountable. The Minister has described the move as ‘Year of Customer Care’ and one hopes genuine efforts will be made to earn satisfaction of customers in all regions.
