Tangail consumers struggle with inflated electricity bills

Thousands of electricity consumers in Tangail are reportedly struggling with inflated bills alongside frequent load-shedding, with some alleging that meter readers prepare bills without checking actual meter readings.

Consumers said their monthly electricity use remains largely unchanged, but bills have sometimes doubled or tripled. Some reported receiving bills of Tk 5,000 instead of around Tk 1,000, while others said bills of a few hundred taka had risen to several thousand.

Md Abu Hanif of Failarghona village in Tangail Sadar said his household uses three lights, three fans and a refrigerator, yet he was billed for nearly 500 additional units. He said his monthly bill previously ranged between Tk 350 and Tk 500 but has recently risen to around Tk 2,000.

Decorator businessman Abu Said said his household was charged for about 1,200 additional units. He claimed repeated complaints to meter readers and electricity officials had not resolved the issue.

Another consumer, Jahid, claimed that around 90 percent of electricity users in Tangail have faced inflated bills and many do not know where to lodge complaints.

Prepaid meter users have also complained about difficulties, including a monthly Tk 40 meter charge and problems with recharge tokens that can result in meters being locked after repeated errors.

Meanwhile, frequent load-shedding is affecting households and businesses across the district, with children and elderly people particularly affected.

According to the Tangail electricity authorities, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) has around 367,000 customers in the district, with demand of 160-170 megawatts against a supply of about 100MW.

Tangail Palli Bidyut Samity has around 615,000 customers across seven upazilas, with daily demand of about 180MW but receiving only around 104MW.

BPDB Executive Engineer Md Mashiur Rahman said complaints about excessive bills are addressed promptly when submitted.

Superintending Engineer Obaidul Islam said the district was receiving less electricity from the national grid than its demand, resulting in load-shedding.

Palli Bidyut Samity Deputy General Manager Al Mamun also attributed the load-shedding to inadequate supply, saying authorities had been asked to increase the district’s allocation.

SKS