Staff Reporter :
The consumer rights groups, business bodies and left leaning political parties strongly opposed the government entity’s power tariff hike proposal at the public hearing on Monday.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) began the public hearing at the TCB Auditorium in the city.
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) have threatened to go for tougher movement if the price of power is hiked again.
The leaders of the two left parties came up with the announcement while staging a sit-in programme in front of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) protesting power price hike move.
Speaking on the occasion, the leaders of the left parties said it is possible to reduce Tk 1.50 per unit from the existing price of power but the government did not take any step rather they arranged public hearings on power tariff hike proposal.
If the price of power is increased again they will go for tougher movement including enforcement of hartal and blockade, said the leaders.
BSD General Secretary Khalequzzaman presided over the programme while CPB general secretary Shah Alam, Bangladesher Biplobi Workers Party general secretary Saiful Haque, United Communist League general secretary Mosharraf Hossain Nannu,, among others, spoke at the programme.
However, on the first day of the hearing state-owned Power Development (PDB) placed its proposal to raise power tariff by 22.24 percent or Tk 1.09 per unit at bulk level.
Currently, the bulk tariff of per unit electricity is Tk 4.90. The PDB seeks to raise it to Tk 5.99 per unit at the bulk level.
A technical evaluation committee of the regulator, which thoroughly examined the PDB proposal, found gross inconsistency in the PDB’s accounting statements and recommended a rise by only 11.78 percent to Tk 5.41per unit.
However, the BERC, headed by its chairman, will take the final decision on the tariff hike proposal on conclusion of the current series of hearings.
BERC chairman Monwar Islam, also a former power secretary, presided over the public hearing session while other members of the regulatory body Rahman Murshed, Mizanur Rahman, Abdul Aziz Khan, and Masudul Haque Bhuiyan were present on the occasion.
PDB chairman Khaled Mahmood and other top officials formally submitted their bulk power tariff hike proposal while consumer right group-Consumers Association of Bangladesh (Cab) advisor Prof Shamsul Alam, CNG Association joint secretary Hasin Parvez, Workers Party general secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) leader Ruhin Hossain Prince, Gonosonghoti Andolon chief coordinator Jonayed Saki, Jahangirnagar University’s associate professor Dr Begum Zebunnesa and energy expert Saleque Sufi spoke at the hearing to oppose the proposal.
The regulator will gradually hold the hearing on the proposals of power entities.
Earlier, as per the directives of the Power Division, six government entities – PDB, DPDC, Desa, Desco, REB, WZPDC, and NWZPDC-have submitted their proposals for raising power tariff.
Of these, the PDB urged the regulator to raise the power tariff both at the bulk and retail levels while the distribution companies called for enhancing tariff at the retail level only.
In Monday’s hearing, PDB chairman Khaled Mahmood, while placing the bulk tariff hike proposal, said the entity needs to raise the bulk tariff because of its huge loss being incurred by the lower selling price against higher production cost.
“We’ve to buy electricity from private power producers at higher rates while the PDB has to buy fuel at higher rates than the private producers due to the existing policy,” he said.
Khaled also informed that the PDB has to pay a huge amount as interest to the government for repayment of loans which it received as subsidy.
Opposing the PDB’s proposal, CAB adviser Prof Shamsul Alam raised a volley of questions about the justification of the proposal saying it is mysterious that why PDB does not supply gas to generate power at low cost. But that gas is diverted to private power plants and PDB is forced to buy power at much higher rates.
He said liquid fuel is supplied to PDB at much higher rates which the private plants are getting at much lower rates.
Shamsul Alam said if such discriminations, distortions and irregularities are removed, the PDB will not need to raise power tariff at the bulk level. “If the bulk level price is up, the retail level will go up.”
Ruhin Hossain Prince said if power tariff is raised it will ultimately affect the whole economy and the common people will be the ultimate victim.
CNG Association joint secretary Hasin Parvez said one of the main costs of CNG pumps is electricity. If the electricity cost goes up, it will affect the public transport fare as those are run by CNG, he said.
The BERC will hold a public hearing on retail tariff proposal of PDB on Tuesday.
