Mercilessly long recharge code for prepaid consumers
Morung Express News
Dimapur | July 16
The Nagaland Electricity Regularity Commission (NERC) Nagaland has notified the new electricity tariff for all categories of consumers as per the Tariff Schedule FY 2022-23 effective from July 1, 2022.
As per the release, prepaid consumers will get a one-time recharge token (code) containing the new and updated tariff for the next recharge. The recharge code are however outrageously lengthy.
Prepaid consumers in Kohima will get an unforgiving 120-digit code, while consumers in Dimapur will get a not so convenient 40-digit code. According to the release, Kohima consumers, who were installed with prepaid meters manufactured by ‘Genus’ will get the burdensome and longer code. Dimapur consumers, installed with meters manufactured by ‘Secure’ were rather fortunate to have gotten the lesser of two troubles.
The release requested the consumers to “enter these digits in the same manner as the usual recharge token.” It also informed that consumers facing difficulties may contact any of the following for assistance: Pre-Paid helpline no- 8415900400. (See Table)
120-digit code!
Meanwhile, the process of registering the lengthy set of numbers has consumers trembling in exasperation. Long before the press release from the Department, people had already taken to social to media posting reactions.
Some of the reactions, to a tweet from a consumer, were rather humourous with one posting, “Either this is harassment or new exercise technique. In any case, you have paid for it.” Another reacted, “I thought 8 digit OTP was long… But this is something else.”
One likened it to the extended power cuts in Dimapur, while another held that the brains behind the idea might as well be nominated for the Nobel Prize.
There were suggestions for remedying the consumer inconvenience as well. One suggestion was, “They should solve this user pain point soon. Solution is pretty simple actually. Run a code that refreshes the token after certain time interval.”
The Morung Express contacted the Department of Power Nagaland (DoPN) for answers to the inexplicable consumer obligation. A senior DoPN official responded that it was a “manufacturing thing” as the software was programmed that way by the manufacturers. The official though added, “In my understanding it is one-time.”
According to him, the manufacturers— Genus and Secure are the companies empanelled by the Government of India for smart prepaid meters.
While stating that it was a first for the DoPN, he admitted to anticipating reactions from consumers given the unusually long recharge code and the accompanying cumbersome process.
“We are also facing this for the first time. I am trying to contact the manufacturers but I am unable to reach them. I think in other parts of the country, they have gone ahead with this. (But) I think there will be a solution,” the official said.
He further informed that Department officials will be deliberating soon on the matter, while stating that the state government/DoPN can write to write to the manufacturers with suggestion to reconfigure and shorten the code.
