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Patna has rolled out a new helpline aimed at tackling LPG cylinder supply problems and combatting black market activities. However, the initiative hit a snag right from the start, with customers voicing their frustrations over unanswered calls this Friday. Officials attributed the chaos to an overwhelming number of incoming calls, stating they are working to expand the line’s capacity quickly.
Patna: The Patna district administration launched a helpline number on Thursday for consumers to report complaints or seek assistance related to availability, delivery delays or irregularities in domestic LPG cylinder supply.Consumers were asked to report complaints or information regarding hoarding and illegal sale of cylinders through the helpline number 0612-2219810 between 9am and 6pm.However, despite the administration’s assurance of swift action, the system appeared to fail its first practical test on Friday when repeated calls to the number went unanswered.Calls made to the helpline several times between 3pm and 6pm did not receive any response.
At times the phone rang until the call dropped, while on other occasions a message stated that the line was busy. In many instances, the recorded message said, “Please check the number you have dialled and try again later.”Although officials had initiated several measures to curb black marketing of this essential commodity, the gap between the announcement of the relief mechanism and its actual functioning left consumers without a reliable channel to lodge grievances.
Puja Kumari, who is in charge of the helpline number at the control room, said that “35 calls were received on Thursday and 54 on Friday.”She added that while two telephone sets were initially used for the helpline service, the number had been increased to five from Friday to improve efficiency.Regarding complaints about calls not being received, officials said that the line sometimes remained busy due to the large number of incoming calls.
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