bdnews24.com :
The energy regulator has offered a 6.03 percent hike in rates of power supplied by Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) at consumer level.
The DPDC, however, had proposed to raise it by 23.50 percent on Wednesday, the second day of the public hearing organised by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).
The BERC evaluation committee recommended an increase of 6.03 percent. Consumers’ Association of Bangladesh adviser Shamsul Alam, Communist Party leader Ruhin Hossain Prince and leftist platform Gana Shanghati Andolan’s coordinator Jonayed Saki opposed the hike in the hearing.
BERC Chairman AR Khan, members Selim Mahmud, Md Delowar Hossain and Maksudul Haque are recording statements of the stakeholders.
The BERC public hearing started on Tuesday amid opposition from leftist organisations.
After the first day’s hearing, the energy regulator recommended an increase in rates of two state-owned power distributors. It suggested the electricity price of Bangladesh Power Development Board to be raised by 6.66 percent and the West Zone Power Distribution Company’s by 8.59 percent.
The two companies currently charge at least Tk 2.51 to Tk 11.85 per unit in different slabs.
The last power price hike took place in September 2012, when the retail prices went up by 15 percent and bulk prices by 17 percent.
Meanwhile, protests by the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesh Samajtanrik Dal (BSD) continued on
Wednesday in front of the BERC office at the capital’s Karwan Bazar.
CPB president Mujahidul Islam Selim and BSD general secretary Khalequzzaman joined the protests.
