BENGALURU: If you have been using the newly-launched BESCOM Mithra App to lodge your complaints about power cuts, chances are that your complaints have been closed without power supply being restored. With the city witnessing several power cuts due to rains over the past three days, customers are up in arms against the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) for the ineffectiveness of its complaint mechanism.
“On Friday, I registered a complaint through the app and I found out that I could track the progress. However, within 30 minutes, I got a call where the person asked me if power was restored. I answered no and he hung up. Within minutes, I saw that my complaint was now showing as resolved,” said Abhishek CV, a resident of Kengeri.
Others said that the helpline 1912, which was initially very responsive to consumer complaints, had become unreachable nowadays.
While the helpline, SMS, app facilities and call centre are all state-of-the-art, the fault lies with the lower-rung officials, according to BESCOM. “Our field staff on the ground must be made accountable. There are rules that every power cut that lasts for more than 10 minutes must be updated by the staff. Most of the times, it is the customer who informs that there is no power supply,” said P Rajendra Cholan, Managing Director, BESCOM.
In order to achieve better operating efficiency for the helpline, Cholan said that the company was undertaking a few changes to the way complaints filed through the Mithra app were dealt with.
Additionally, BESCOM is also in the process of installing Global Positioning System (GPS) based trackers for their field service vehicles. “Customers can track the vehicles and know that we are on the way to solve the issue. This is in process and almost all vehicles have been equipped with the trackers. This module is also being incorporated into the app,” Cholan said.
How to complain
1912 - Helpline
App: BESCOM Mithra
SMS: 58888
Whatsapp: 9449844640
www.bescom.ipgrs.org/