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Power tariff decision early next month

Star Business Report
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) will decide on the proposed power tariff hike within the first week of the next month, said BERC Acting Chairman Md Mokhlesur Rahman Khandker after a public hearing on the proposed tariff hike in Dhaka yesterday.
At the hearing consumers demanded a thorough investigation into the mismanagements of Palli Biddut Samity (PBS) and its mother company Rural Electrification Board (REB) instead of increasing the power tariff.
Earlier on April 21 REB applied to the BERC for power tariff hike by 11.52 percent.
Expressing their dissatisfaction with the services of the PBS, they said the mismanagements in the PBS and REB
are mainly responsible for the losses incurred by such a profitable cooperative as PBS.
Matin Mollah, a PBS consumer, complained that they only share the losses faced by the REB, but they do not know about the profit.
"We have to pay Tk 20,000-Tk 30,000 as bribe to the PBS general manager for a power connection, which is a burden for a poor man,” Mollah alleged.
Alamgir Hossain from Gaibandha district said the REB does not know how many people were electrocuted from the hanging wires of PBS. "Such tragic incidents take place due to the negligence of the PBS employees," Hossain said.
Kumkum, another consumer, said she is yet to get rid of the 'ghost bill' of PBS.
Consumer Shah Mohammad Shahjahan said the REB is incurring
losses because of its officials' luxury life style and over-burden management team.
In response to the questions of the consumers, Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam, chairman of REB, said if the victims lodged complaints to the offices concerned, actions would be taken.
"The REB will make a profit atTk 200 crore a year if the government approves the power tariff hike at the proposed 11.52 percent rate, which is very rational right now," Islam said.
He said at present the total number of customers of the REB is 7.678 million under 70 PBSs across the country. The length of the PBS line is 217,000 kilometres, he said, adding that REB started its journey as a power distributingcompany in 1977 with only 13 PBSs.
He urged the BERC to form an investigation committee to find out the corruption in the PBS and REB.