Complainants at the BSEB janata darbar at Vidyut Bhavan in Patna on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Feb. 14: Most of the power consumers returned disappointed after meeting Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) chairman P.K. Rai at his janata darbar held here today.

Complaints poured in at a camp organised by the board to redress issues relating to all kinds of electricity matters where consumers spoke about their grievances like delay in installation of transformers, rural electrification, fixing of poles and wires.

P.K. Rai with Rana Awadhesh, board member administration, Ganesh Prasad, board secretary, A.K. Sinha, board joint secretary Patna Electricity Supply Undertaking (Pesu) general manager S.K.P. Singh, CESA general manager N.K.P. Sinha, gave a patient hearing to around 162 registered complainants.

Board’s public relation director and spokesman H.R. Pandey told The Telegraph: “Out of total 162 complaints, which we received today, around 50 complaints were disposed of on the spot.”

He said: “In the last electricity redressal camp held on January 10, around 148 complaints were received out of which around 70 were redressed on the spot.”

Residents of Rajiv Nagar were a harassed lot as they came in big numbers just for getting new electricity connection. Some of them have not got connections despite depositing the money around two years ago.

Satish Kumar, a resident of Rajiv Nagar, said: “I had applied for a new connection one year ago. However, I have not got my electricity connection yet.”

He said: “The chairman said he cannot do anything till the housing board gives a no-objection certificate, I have no other option now other than waiting for the noobjection certificate.”

Another resident of the same colony, Dipak Kumar, who had also come for a new connection said: “What is the purpose of holding such a janata darbar when they cannot redress the problem?”

He said: “The chairman did not even take down my complaint regarding a connection.”

Shambhu Nath Sharma, who had come with four other villagers from Gopalpur village under Naubatpur block of rural Patna, said: “Transformers, poles, wires are lying in the village since December 2008.”

He added: “However, they could not be installed because of board’s lackadaisical approach.”

Sharma said: “I have come here to meet the board’s chairman for the second time. In the first camp, the chairman had said transformers would be installed within a month but today he told me to approach the district magistrate as my complaint has been referred to him.”

Sudhir Chandra Thakur, a resident of Shivaji colony of Naya Tola Kumhrar, said: “I am coming here for the second time requesting installation of transformer and poles at my colony and the chairman promised to get the wires connected.”