NEW DELHI, June 18 -- Telecom operators and consumer groups are clashing over a proposed overhaul of India's telecom grievance-redressal rules, exposing a broader debate over how much responsibility carriers should bear as customer complaints mount and service interactions become increasingly automated.

Consumer advocates are pushing for faster access to human customer-service executives and greater oversight of unresolved complaints. Telecom companies argue the proposed requirements are costly and unlikely to improve consumer outcomes.

The dispute follows a proposal by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) last month to revamp complaint-handling regulations for the first time in 12 years. The move comes as complaints receive...