APERC directs Discoms to install complaint boxes

Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh Electricity Regulatory Commission (APERC) Chairman Justice C V Nagarjuna Reddy on Saturday directed the Distribution Companies (Discoms) to install complaint boxes at the field offices at mandal level and also at the offices of Chairman and Managing Director of Discoms across the State.

The measure is aimed at addressing the grievances of the consumers. It will reinforce the trust among consumers in the Discoms.

This is the exercise taken up by APERC as part of efforts to bring transparency to the system and increase accountability among officials. Justice Nagarjuna said the constructive measures towards addressing the grievances of consumers and its perfect implementation would increase trust of consumers in power sector.

In its guidelines, the APERC asked Discoms to display public notices about complaint boxes prominently in both English and Telugu at each field office and also at the CMDs office to enable consumers to know that the complaint boxes are available to file their complaints. The public notices should also be carried on the back of electricity bills.

The public notices should inform the consumers that the complaint boxes will be opened personally by the next higher authority on the first of every month and transmit the complaints pertaining to other jurisdictions through e-office to the respective officers. The higher officials should relock the complaint boxes and the keys to be preserved by higher officers in their office.

Consumers should be allowed to submit a copy of his complaint to the officer concerned if he desires so. The direct complaints shall be attended within 48 hours without waiting for the box to be opened.

The APERC also asked the DISCOMs to display the information about the complaint boxes on the home page of their websites. Action taken on the complaints shall be informed to the complainant (consumer) and the same information should be made available through email, SMS and upload it in the DISCOMs website within 48 hours of the action taken.

The DISCOMs should put in place a system to ensure that the field officers do upload the copies of complaints received by them and the action taken by them on their websites. The DISCOMs are also directed to display monthly report on complaints status as well in each of the respective officers jurisdiction on their website. The APERC directed the DISCOMs to send a quarterly report to the APERC explaining the status of complaints and how many are addressed.