Power bills rubbing salts in C-19 wounds

Consumers across the country are not supposed to pay surcharge and late fee for the electricity bills of February, March and April due to coronavirus pandemic.
But they are now facing harassment as they go to utility offices of banks to pay the bills.
Officials at the power distributing agencies, however, say they are yet to get any official order in this regard.
Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) is the champion among the six power distributing agencies as most of its consumers are from the rural areas and poor but complains of harassment is almost similar against all utility agencies.
"No utility offices are exempting late fees and surcharges declared by the government. Mostly the rural poor people are
    facing serious problem at banks and PBSs as they don't have the bargaining capacity with the officials of banks or PBSs," said Consumers Associations of Bangladesh's (CAB) Energy Adviser Professor Shamsul Alam.
The consumers are also facing serious difficulties when they visit any office to adjust the inflated bill at the utility agencies. They are told to pay the bill first and come later for the adjustment.
It is not the fault of a consumer. The utility agencies are responsible for that and they should adjust it first, Professor Alam added.
"I think the consumers might face some difficulties in paying the bills due to delay in the issuance of the order," a senior official of the Power Division told the Daily Observer without elaborating.
Following a 66-day nationwide shutdown, State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid on 30th May announced 'distribution companies will not impose any surcharge on electricity bill payments for the months of February, March, April and May due to coronavirus pandemic'.
He also urged the consumers not to be panicked over the inflated electricity bills and assured them of resolving it soon. The payments of the due bills must be paid by June 30, he said.
"We are yet to receive any official order from the high-ups in this connection," a senior official of a distribution agency said.
"Usually consumers have to pay their utility bills through banks. Only some smart consumers use the mobile financial services (MFS). So if there is no official order we cannot entertain the 'good gesture' (the waivers issues) of the government," the official added.
Meanwhile, during the lockdown period, the consumers received two to five times higher bills compared to the bills of February and March.
Consumers of different distribution companies have received the bills as the six distribution companies made the bills on an average basis that changed the electricity consumption slabs of the consumers creating inflated bills.
The six power distribution companies are Bangladesh Power Development Company (PDB), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (REB), West-Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (WZPDCL), Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), North West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (NASCO) and Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO).
According to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), the power distribution companies have already appealed to the BERC to withdraw surcharge so that they can get the facilities on payment of bulk power tariff bills paid to BPDB.
They have also sought subsidy from the ministry to cope with the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
"In their plea, the distributors urged for issuing letters for collection of the bills of May without any fine," BERC official said.
Meanwhile, as per Consumers Association of Bangladesh's (CAB) demand, BERC issued an order on March 24 to allow the residential consumers to pay their electricity bills for the month of February, March and April without any late payment and surcharge amid the Covid-19 crisis.
A senior official of the Power Division said, examining the situation we are planning to extend the facility for another one month till May and allow people to pay their bills without fine by June 30.
But it is yet to issue any circular in this connection.