HYDERABAD: With several areas in the city experiencing complete power outage on consecutive days of Tuesday and Wednesday, all 25 disaster teams under the Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) were deployed to address the issues. However, it wasn’t until Thursday that many had their power connections restored. The situation begs the question: “Is the body equipped to handle the sea of complaints that come in with every heavy downpour?”
Residents claim that despite voicing their angst on Twitter and helpline numbers, there was no resolution offered. This was primarily because the magnitude of complaints the body received was nowhere close to the number of technicians it had. In the past two days, at least 4,000-5,000 complaints came in for TSSPDCL. However, officials claim that no major outage was reported.
“I gave my customer number with which they will access my house address easily. Despite this, nobody turned up for over six hours. Eventually, I was informed that a technician came and left because he did not have my contact number. A lack of coordination is the issue. It took over 12 hours for them to restore electricity,” said AS Jaya, a resident of Sanathnagar.
Residents also point out that the Twitter handle of TSSPDCL asks for a phone number, which many are not comfortable sharing online. The USC No. (Unique customer service) also gives out location details on the internet, making it a privacy issue.
TSSPDCL officials, however, claim that they are well equipped to handle any situation. A senior official stated that most complaints were not rain-related, but regular maintenance issues.