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Public Complaint Handling Improves as Energy Ministry Intensifies Response System

Kathmandu: The Ministry of Energy has said that it has significantly accelerated its public grievance redressal system, resolving more than 11,000 complaints during the tenure of Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha.

The Ministry stated that Minister Shrestha has prioritized the immediate hearing and resolution of public complaints, making grievance management a key focus of the ministry. Following his directives, subordinate agencies have been made more accountable in service delivery, and the complaint handling system has been strengthened to become faster, more effective, and results-oriented.

The ministry has strengthened its mechanism for addressing service-related issues by keeping the electricity service hotline number 1151 operational 24 hours a day to ensure immediate response to consumer problems. According to the ministry, all 1,183 complaints received through the hotline in the first week of the month of May-June were resolved within that period.

Among the complaints received, issues related to underground cables accounted for 75 cases, “no light” outages 116, missing poles 19, transformer-related issues 6, missing meters 5, and EV charging-related problems 3.

The ministry also said that questions raised during zero hour in Parliament, as well as demands and complaints related to energy, water resources, and irrigation, are being addressed promptly.

According to the ministry, a total of 4,269 complaints were received between March 29 and April 13, via phone (4,248), WhatsApp (14), email (2), and the government portal “Hello Government” (5). Similarly, during the entire month of Mid – April to Mid – May, 6,026 complaints were received via phone, 92 via WhatsApp, and 10 via email.

The ministry further reported that since Minister Shrestha assumed office, a total of 11,575 complaints have been received. It added that written submissions and issues raised in public media are also being monitored by the ministry’s secretariat, with resolution processes underway.

Jalasarokar