Coordinated Call Centre launched for power sector consumers with hotline number 16999

A coordinated Call Centre with hotline number of 16999 has been launched in the power sector through which consumer 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 new Call Centre at a function at Biduyt Bhaban in the city on Thursday.

He said the new 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,” he told the function.

According to the announcement at the function, all the six power distribution companies—Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco), Northern Electricity Supply Company PLS (Nesco), and West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL)—are integrated with the new call centre.

Any consumer of the six companies can anytime call to the Call Centre and lodge complaints from which the call centre will connect him with the responsible person to get the solution of the problem.

Similarly, the consumer can use an App of the Power Division and a social media page Chatbot to lodge the complaint.

Hamid said that 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,” he said adding, as a result, this will yield better results to address the consumers’ complaints.

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 Madbubur Rahman in the chair, senior secretary of the Power Division Md Habibur Rahman also addressed the function.

He said that they would regularly check through making calls whether the call centre is effectively working or not.