The West Bengal government on Tuesday launched the ‘Bidyut Prahari’ mobile application, enabling citizens to report electricity theft, illegal hooking and hazardous power infrastructure directly to the state power distribution company.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched the app at Vidyut Bhavan in Kolkata’s Salt Lake, saying it would help facilitate faster action on complaints and improve monitoring of reported cases.
The app allows users to report incidents of electricity theft and illegal hooking by uploading photographs and sharing the geographical coordinates of the location. Complaints related to damaged electrical equipment, dangerous power lines and other infrastructure-related hazards can also be lodged through the platform.
Adhikari said electricity theft must be brought down to zero and called for a strict approach towards outstanding electricity bills from commercial establishments.
“Electricity theft must be brought down to zero. There will be a zero-tolerance policy for unpaid bills in factories. Electricity bills remain pending for many commercial buildings. Recover the outstanding bills and issue notices. However, be compassionate when dealing with domestic cases. Decisions should be made based on past records,” he said.
The app will also allow consumers to provide feedback and report other electricity-related service issues. Users will be able to track the status of their complaints through the platform.
Officials said the identity of people reporting electricity theft or illegal hooking would be kept confidential. The application will be monitored round the clock to facilitate prompt action on complaints.