Incepted in 2004, JUSCO is the only sector comprehensive urban infrastructure service provider which offers end to end solutions in building operating and maintaining infrastructure services akin to a municipal corporation. ASHISH MATHUR, MD, JUSCO elucidates on the prime activities of the company which has enabled it to set a benchmark for others to follow. Excerpts:
How would you introduce JUSCO to our reader? Can you share JUSCO’s history and experience in Jamshedpur?
JUSCO was created from the Town Services Division of Tata Steel in 2004, JUSCO is the only sector comprehensive urban infrastructure service provider which offers end to end solutions in building operating and maintaining infrastructure services akin to a municipal corporation. In JUSCO, the steel major reposed nine decades of experience and expertise. The mandate for JUSCO was to convert an obligatory service into a customer focused sustainable corporate entity. As far as the history of JUSCO is concerned, it goes back to the days when Tata Steel was set up in the city of Jamshedpur way back in 1907. When Jamshetji Tata decided to set-up an integrated steel plant in this region, at that point in time he had also envisaged what a modern city should look like. Just like the concept of smart cities currently is a step ahead in time likewise the concept devised then was grand in itself. The elaborate plan envisioned city with wide roads, with huge tree covers and dedicated spaces and facilities for sports places like football, hockey etc. The democratic fervor of the time was also taken into account since the plan also ear marked spaces for construction of the morgue, churches, temples etc. Based on this kind of magnanimous vision Jamshedpur was envisaged 100 years back. It enabled us to evolve into a full-fledged infrastructure service providing company.
What are the various Urban Infrastructure services offered by JUSCO?
The Town Services Division has got multiple sub divisions, like a municipal corporation it covers everything; right from water supply and distribution to construction and maintenance of roads, cleaning, public services etc. This division is also responsible for maintenance and creation of accommodation facilities essentially meant for Tata Steel employees and officers. We have the Power Services Division which basically looks after the entire power distribution to Jamshedpur. It is also responsible for the purchase, sale and distribution of electricity; augmenting and maintaining the power distribution infrastructure outside Jamshedpur as well. Third portion is the Engineering Procurement & Construction Division, which undertakes the projects within and outside Jamshedpur. E.g. In Kolkata JUSCO has undertaken water supply-related projects which include: water storage and collection, water distribution and water treatment. Likewise we are also engaged in distribution of electricity. Even in Mysore City the entire water distribution infrastructure was set up by JUSCO. Apart from the aforementioned three divisions JUSCO has also initiated the Operation & Maintenance division which allows it to leverage its expertise outside Jamshedpur. When it comes to Jamshedpur we have the integrated city management model; however when it comes to municipalities, these services are essentially organized and looked after by respective departments of respective the Municipal Corporation. So we may not have an opportunity to replicate the Jamshedpur Model in totality but based on the requirements of the country or the city we have the opportunity to execute the specific task at hand
Water services are JUSCO’S crowning achievement, not just for Jamshedpur’s seven lakh people, but also for Tata Steel, Tata Motors, Timken, Tata Cummins, Lafarge and other enterprises that are present in Jamshedpur. The company supplies potable tap water and treats 60 million litres of waste water each day at its two sewage treatment plants. The company has a unique ‘river to river management’ concept, through which the town’s wastewater, after treatment and testing, is pumped back into the river. Jamshedpur is one of very few cities in India that treats 100 per cent of its wastewater. This has reduced pollutant discharge by 98 per cent. Given the emphasis on water and waste management services by JUSCO Jamshedpur has probably become the only city in the country where citizens can drink water directly from tap. JUSCO has also initiated the plan to turn Jamshedpur City as zero sewage discharge city. In order to achieve this, the city will use a Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) System, which prevents sewerage water from entering the city’s waterways. The ZLD system systematically removes all dissolved solids and other waste in the water, only to bring it back to the original process, essentially recycling it. JUSCO had been making efforts to minimise water leakage and reuse the sewerage water after being recycled at its two treatment plants located at Bistupur and Bara. The waste water treatment plant currently operational has a capacity of 10 million litres per day. The Bara treatment plant can treat up to 30 million litres of sewerage water every day. In the next one year, JUSCO aims to reuse the 40 million litres recycled water per day for industrial and other purposes which includes horticulture, irrigation, car washing etc.
When it comes to power distribution there are few essential parameters which need to be kept in mind-it should be affordable, reliable and sustainable. Our power distribution systems cater to 8.5 lac citizens in Jamshedpur. The uninterrupted power supply is the result of our robust distribution networks which were erected during the foundation stages. Likewise with time, as per the requirements, we have added new networks to the existing infrastructure. This has contained the undue stresses and strains on the existing systems which often lead to an operational burn out. Apart from erecting new networks, JUSCO has also focused on the collective maintenance and monitoring of the transmission and distribution networks to ensure uninterrupted power supply. Our transmission and distribution losses are also one of the lowest in the country at 4.5%. This has been achieved because of our continuous effort to improve efficiency in the delivery process and better utilization of assets. Regular maintenance of sub-stations and replacement of old assets have resulted in a benchmark performance for many years. Power service at Jamshedpur has always been rated as one of the best in the country. The testimony of this is the award from the Ministry of Power, Government of India as the Best Power Distribution Company in India for 2 consecutive years 2012-13 and 2013-14. As a result, Jamshedpur has been consistently identified for its quality of life and has been rated as one of the most liveable cities among Tier2/ 3 categories by leading market research agency.
What is the customer’s interface provided by JUSCO to deal with complaints regarding various services?
I don’t think we have a municipal corporation across the country with a 24 by 7 support center for all possible services. At JUSCO we have a 24 by 7 support centre wherein you can lodge a complaint and actually get a complaint number. Your complaint number serves as a tracking number which allows you to stay abreast on the status of your grievance. We try our best to resolve the issue at hand within a specified time frame (within the service level agreement to that complaint number), the resolution rate may not be 100 percent but we have achieved a compliance level of 85-90%. We call this support center the JUSCO Sahyog Kendra. The Sahyog Kendra is not only meant for the employees of Tata Group within the city, but any citizen in the city of Jamshedpur who avails of our services. JUSCO Sahyog Kendra has completed a decade of journey on 02 November 2014. As far as digitization of our customer service operations is concerned we have successfully implemented it by launching the Zimmedar Steel City App. Citizens can click a picture and load their complaint through the mobile app, in seconds it gets loaded on the JUSCO Sahyog Kendra Server and a response is sent. The response confirms that your complain has been registered and mentions the time period within which it will be addressed. JUSCO also carries out the customer’s contract program. In accordance to this program we reach out to our customers and try to understand the scenario in prospect. The idea is to address their complaints and find effective solutions. We also have joint community connect centers wherein we visit and interact with the communities and try to find their needs and wants. We may not be in a position to fulfill their demands immediately but we sincerely make an effort to reach out and offer the solutions we are capable of delivering –in the shortest possible span of time. To cite an example, in the realm of horticulture services let’s say we develop a park, the maintenance is handed over to the community. In a gist we keep on developing and the maintenance is done by the community; they use the park, they maintain it. Thereby a harmonious working relationship is achieved which is a win-win situation for both the parties involved. To ensure a precise feedback on the services offered by JUSCO a third party survey is conducted where people from different places who have visited Jamshedpur provide their responses. On the basis of the feedback received we try to gauge and solve their problems. So that is the kind of work we do.
JUSCO has joined hands with Vodafone and bill desk to launch utility bill payments. Would you throw more light on this initiative?
Yes, we have partnered with Vodafone and Bill Desk to allow customers in Jamshedpur to make their utility bill payments via Vodafone m-pesa. This initiative helps us in enhancing the services we offer through the Jusco Grahak Seva Kendra. In 2004, JUSCO started the Jusco Sahyog Kendra, a 24x7 helpline complaint management system for all the services it provides in Jamshedpur. The second stage of improvement focused on single window service hub with initiatives like air conditioned bill payment counter and Jusco Grahak Seva Kendra. The third stage of improvements focused on multi mode payment facilities like de-centralized bill payment counters across town, Information through SMS and payment through ATP machines. The fourth stage focused on auto mode bill payment with facilities like internet payment through Bill Desk, Net Banking through credit / debit card, Airtel Money Mobile App and now Vodafone m-pesa. This marks a first-of-its-kind initiative rolled out across Jharkhand – one that will give customers the convenience of making monthly bill payments through m-pesa on their mobile phones – anytime, anywhere. This reinforces Jusco’s initiative of Zimmedaar Nagrik, Zimmedaar Shaher by providing yet another mode of payment for the citizens of Jamshedpur.
