Sunday, April 28, 2024
A coordinated call centre with hotline number 16999 has been launched in the power sector through which consumers of any distribution company can lodge a complaint and get the solution.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid formally launched the call centre at a function at Bidyut Bhaban in Dhaka on Thursday.
He said the call centre will be an easy way to provide the services to the power consumers. “After a long effort since 2016, finally we have been successful in setting up such a coordinated call centre.”
According to the announcement at the function, all six power distribution companies – Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO), Northern Electricity Supply Company PLC (NESCO), and West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDCL) – are integrated with the new call centre.
Any consumer of the six companies can anytime call the call centre and lodge complaints from which the call centre will connect him with the responsible person to get the problem’s solution.
Similarly, the consumer can use an App of the Power Division and a social media page Chatbot to lodge the complaint.
Nasrul said currently each of the distribution companies has their own call centre and separate number to call which are not consumer-friendly.
“But this coordinated call centre will be consumer-friendly and will be operated by professional people,” the state minister said. As a result, this will yield better results to address the consumers’ complaints, he added.
He said 16999 is a unique number through which any consumer from anywhere across the country at any time can put his complaints.
With BPDB Chairman Md Mahbubur Rahman in the chair, Power Division Senior Secretary Md Habibur Rahman also addressed the function.
He said they would regularly check through making calls whether the call centre is effectively working or not.
