Uttar Pradesh’s Energy Minister, AK Sharma, is once again furious with his department's officials. He has expressed significant displeasure over the departmental negligence and insensitivity. The key highlight was his move to share an audio recording of a conversation between a senior electricity department official and a consumer on the social media platform X.
This audio was sent to him by a senior leader, claiming that the departmental officials are ignoring public grievances and are being highly insensitive in their tone.
What did Sharma write on X?
The Minister of Energy wrote in a post that a veteran leader, who has served as an MP several times, sent me an audio of a conversation between an educated citizen and a senior official in the electricity department from their area, demanding action be taken.
He further mentioned that he relayed the same concern to the UPPCL chairman, MD, and other officials three days ago. He emphasized that technology-driven solutions like the toll-free system of 1912 can be supplementary to human mechanisms, not a substitute.
Officials stopped answering calls
The Energy Minister expressed anger at the officers' working style, saying officials have completely stopped answering calls. He added, there have been numerous wrong decisions made repeatedly despite written and verbal warnings. He remarked that because of many ill-considered, untimely, and impractical instructions, the public is facing difficulties.
Minister accuses lies in meetings
Sharma accused the department's officials of misleading him in meetings. They claimed that no special instructions were given for lodging complaints on the 1912 (helpline), yet he had trouble trusting them. Despite multiple inquiries, he kept hearing falsehoods. Sharma urged people to listen to the audio themselves to understand the reality.
Warning to Officials - Consequences will be severe
In clear terms, Sharma urged the electricity department officials and employees to acknowledge their responsibility towards the public. Rapid resolution of issues and maintaining a polite communication are imperative, or else the consequences will be severe.
What message was sent on WhatsApp by the leader?
The Energy Minister also shared a WhatsApp message sent by a senior leader. It read: Honorable Minister, there's no electricity in a large neighborhood of Basti city since 10 am. By 8 pm, no official was answering calls. When the Superintendent Engineer was called, his behavior was extremely insensitive. You would understand their apathy towards public grievances and their deliberate attempt to tarnish the government’s image by listening to their speech.
SE Suspended
On Sunday morning, Sharma announced the immediate suspension of Basti's SE Prashant Singh. He wrote: 'The consumer is God... Due to insensitivity towards consumer complaints and inappropriate behavior, Basti's SE Prashant Singh has been suspended with immediate effect.' He further instructed all electricity officials and employees to ensure the effective and prompt resolution of consumer issues. Everyone should remain committed to public service.
