Lucknow, May 25 -- It's the middle of summer. After an exhausting and extracting day, you go to bed craving a good night's sleep. No sooner does your head hit the pillow, than the electricity goes off! You hope that it will return soon but after half-an-hour of swatting mosquitoes, you decide to call the power station. If you're lucky, only then will the Madhyanchal or UPPCL helpline answer your call. Most times, the line stays engaged. And even if it does connect, it takes a few tries and 7 to 8 minutes before someone responds. When they finally do, they simply take note of your complaint and promise to forward it to the concerned SDO. There's rarely any follow-up or assurance of resolution. The system often feels inefficient and unreliable for genuine grievances. No wonder over 42,000 cases reported to 1912 from 2017 to May 21 remain unresolved. On May 21, 2025, the helpline received 30,860 complaints by 2 PM, with 14,562 still pending resolution. This indicates that over 1,200 power-related issues were reported every hour, underscoring the strain on the state's power infrastructure. In the MVVNL region alone, 8,908 complaints were logged, with 3,393 unresolved, reflecting a 38% backlog for the day. Despite boasting a resolution rate of over 99%, U.P's power distribution companies (Discoms) have a backlog of unresolved consumer complaints and signs of systemic strain. Data from the "1912 Electricity Complaint Helpline" reveals a troubling undercurrent: around 45k grievances remain unaddressed even after eight years of operations, raising concerns about service delivery, accountability, and responsiveness. From April 12, 2017, to May 21, 2025, Discoms received 24.5 million complaints, out of which 24.4 million were reportedly closed. At first glance, a 99.83% resolution rate suggests efficiency - but scratch beneath the surface, and the story shifts. The number of complaints unresolved is not a trivial number when many of these cases involve power cuts, faulty meters, or inflated bills, which impact daily life and livelihoods. Kesco, which serves Kanpur, has the highest pending complaints (10,207), despite having the smallest consumer base among the major Discoms. MVVNL, the state's largest Discom by complaint volume, has over 9,468 pending grievances. Even better-performing zones like DVVNL has 6,975 grievances and PUVVNL, 6,653, while Pashchimanchal has 9,005 pending unaddressed complaints since 2017, hinting at persistent bottlenecks. Patron of UP Rajya Vidyut Parishad Junior Engineer Sangathan Satnam Singh said, "The 1912 helpline may have revolutionised complaint registration in the power sector, but registration without resolution is a hollow victory. The mounting backlog, especially recent unresolved cases, reveals an urgent need for transparency, staff augmentation, absence of real-time tracking, and third-party audits of complaint closures." As consumers grow more aware and demand accountability, it's time Discoms stop hiding behind inflated success rates - and start focusing on meaningful, verified resolutions. Officials of the UPPCL have urged consumers across the state to make greater use of chatbot services for lodging grievances related to power supply. During a review meeting of the toll-free electricity helpline 1912 on Thursday, UPPCL chairman Dr Ashish Goyal said that chatbot platforms offer a more efficient mode of communication compared to traditional phone calls, often affected by call drops or wait times. "Consumers should prefer chatbot services as they provide a direct and uninterrupted channel for complaint registration, without the hassles of network issues," Goyal said, highlighting availability of various other channels including social media handles, mobile apps, websites, and dedicated email IDs. At the 1912 Customer Care Centre in Hussainganj, operations are handled by outsourced staff from Rama Infotech working in three shifts. Currently, 120 personnel are deployed round the clock to attend to incoming calls, while an additional 10 staff members are assigned to follow up with consumers, according to a senior official at the centre who wished not to be named....