A severe shortage of technical manpower is emerging as the biggest hurdle in ensuring uninterrupted power supply in Uttar Pradesh. Official complaint redressal data has revealed that nearly four out of every 10 electricity-related complaints across the state are not being resolved within the prescribed time limit, raising serious concerns over the efficiency of the state’s power distribution network.
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Figures show that only 59% of consumer complaints were resolved within the stipulated timeline, while 40.9% remained unattended beyond the deadline even when electricity is available for supply.
Chief engineer Lucknow Electricity Supply Administration, central zone, Ravi Agarwal, said, “All discoms are doing very well. There are efforts to reach around 90% solution to problems in the prescribed time. There is no shortage of manpower and the state government is aware of all the facts and is always ready for fresh appointments whenever required.”
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The data exposes wide variations in the performance of the state’s five power distribution companies (discoms). Purvanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PuVVNL) recorded the worst performance, with 54.21% of complaints failing to meet the prescribed resolution timeline, meaning more than half the consumers had to wait beyond the mandated period for restoration of supply or rectification of faults.
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Kesco, which supplies electricity in Kanpur city, also performed poorly, with 51.15% of complaints delayed, followed by Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) where 48.16% of complaints were not resolved on time.
Madhyanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (MVVNL), which caters to Lucknow and several central Uttar Pradesh districts, fared comparatively better but still failed to resolve 36.67% of complaints within the prescribed timeline. Dakshinanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (DVVNL) emerged as the best-performing utility, with only 23.87% of complaints missing the deadline, meaning nearly three-fourths of complaints were resolved within the stipulated period.
Consumer organisations have blamed the deteriorating complaint redressal mechanism on an acute shortage of technical staff. The Uttar Pradesh Rajya Vidyut Upbhokta Parishad alleged that various discoms have significantly reduced the number of contractual technical workers in an effort to cut salary expenditure.
While the move may have saved a few lakh rupees in wages, the council claimed it has resulted in losses worth crores due to delayed restoration of supply, repeated outages, disruption to commercial activities and inconvenience to consumers.
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According to the consumer body, the problem is no longer one of electricity availability but of manpower availability.
Chairman All India Power Engineers Federation Shailendra Dubey warned that increasing electricity generation alone will not improve consumer experience unless the distribution network is adequately staffed. He stressed that a reliable power supply depends equally on a robust workforce capable of responding quickly to breakdowns, repairing faults and restoring supply within the timelines prescribed by the electricity regulator.
With nearly 41% of complaints missing the prescribed resolution deadline, experts say improving last-mile distribution has now become as important as ensuring adequate power generation.
