KATHMANDU, Sept 5: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has launched a toll – free number '1151' as part of its effort to streamline its services to the customers.
Minister for Energy Mahendra Bahadur Shahi inaugurated the toll – free number amidst a press conference held on Monday at the Energy Ministry. The hotline aims to provide accessible and easy services to the customers.
On the occasion, Minister Shahi urged NEA's customers to dial the toll – free number if the NEA employees create unnecessary hassles, do not address the problems and seek kickbacks.
The customers can register their complaints through direct communications link if they are mistreated by the employees at the NEA. The service seekers can also complain if the staffers at the Nolight Section do not receive their phone calls.
The Minister further elaborated that the hotline service was introduced to instill additional sense of responsibility among the public utility authority's staff and make the service customer – oriented.
The NEA will deploy its workers at the rate of three at different time to run the hotline service 24 hours a day. The toll-free number can be dialed by three persons at once in any given time.
Across the nation, complaints have been pouring in over mistreatment of service seekers by NEA distribution centres' staff. There have been complaints that the NEA employees have sought bribe during meter checks and of not repairing the broken down transformers for a long period of time.
Minister Shahi said the hotline service was launched also to send a message that the authority remains active in its service to the people.
NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising said the telephone number was being run to provide accessible service to the customers and make it easier for them to make direct contact to complain.
The hotline will also receive complaints if the customers do not receive watt – hour meter; if the NEA employees show reluctance in installing the meter and do not work without bribe.
The NEA's introduction of a toll-free number service comes in wake of the reduced power outage hours across the country and increasing trust among the people. In such a scenario, the service was introduced to make NEA staff more responsible, NEA Executive Director Ghising added.
NEA's Mobile App
The public utility authority has also brought into operation 'NEA Official', a mobile app. NEA's IT Department prepared the mobile app which will provide access to all activities of the authority. The customers can also look up in the app to know their electricity tariff.
The customers may also use the app to register their complaints and find out how and where power supply has been cut off and how much time it will take before power is restored.
According to NEA IT Department Chief, Sanjaya Upadhyay, the NEA Official can be downloaded from google play store and app store. RSS
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