KATHMANDU: Nepal Electricity Authority has launched a toll-free number '1151' with an aim to provide accessible and easy services to the consumer.

Minister for Energy Mahendra Bahadur Shahi inaugurated the toll-free number amid a press conference held at the Ministry of Energy in Singhadarbar on Monday.

On the occasion, Minister Shahi urged the consumers to dial the toll-free number if the Authority 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 NEA staff.

The service seekers can also complain if the staffers at the No light Section do not receive 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 consumer-oriented.

The Authority will deploy its workers 24 hours a day to run the hotline service and the 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 centre staff.

There have been complaints that the NEA employees have sought bribe during metre checks and repairing the broken 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.

Similarly, 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 consumers do not receive watt-hour metre; if the NEA employees show reluctance in installing the metre and do not work without bribe.

“The launch 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,” added NEA Executive Director Ghising.

Meanwhile, the public utility authority has brought its mobile app ‘NEA Official' into operation.

The app will provide access to all activities of the authority including electricity tariff, register complaints, and find out how and where power supply has been cut off and how long will take to restore the power.

According to NEA IT Department Chief Sanjaya Upadhyay the app can be downloaded from google play store and app store.