Staff Reporter :
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said many customers have received ghost electricity bills during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “There is no reason to worry about this. These kinds of bills will be reviewed after checking the meter readings,” he added.
The minister said this while addressing a virtual dialogue with the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on Wednesday amid huge public outcry over the issue. Earlier, the disgruntled customers took to social media to vent their anger on the matter.
Even, customers of Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (DESCO), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC), and the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) are now gathering at customer service points every day with complaints.
Meanwhile, Nasrul Hamid advised the customers, who faced such problems in the electricity bills, should go to local electricity offices.
He said, “There is a change in the four of six seasons in the country. As a result, a change is seen in the lifestyle of people. The use of electricity has increased. In this situation, we will follow smart prepaid meter system to bring transparency.”
CPD chairman professor Dr Rehman Sobahan presided over the programme where executive director Dr Fahmida Khatun, senior research director Dr Golam Moazzem and others joined.
Meanwhile, the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has sent a written complaint to BERC about the ongoing suffering of consumers due to overbilling of electricity.
Several sources said that the problem was caused by meter readers as they made bills based on assumptions without going to any home during the coronavirus pandemic.
