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| A dispute over an unusually high bill led to the disconnection of a customer's electricity in Netrokona. Photo: Collected |
In Mohanganj, Netrokona, officials of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) have been accused of disconnecting a customer's electricity after an argument over a high bill. Palli Bidyut officials, however, claim the connection was cut because the customer verbally abused an employee who came to deliver the bill and threatened an officer.
Last Thursday afternoon, the power connection to the home of Swapan Mia in Alipur village, Suair Union, was disconnected. As of 7:30 pm on Saturday, when this report was written, the connection had not been restored. The family is suffering without electricity.
According to local residents, the affected family and the Mohanganj Palli Bidyut Samity office, Swapan Mia received a combined bill of Tk 3,100 for July, August and September. The family paid it. The bill for October then came to Tk 870. On Thursday noon, Rashed Mia, the meter reader-cum-messenger (MRC) of Palli Bidyut, went to the house to deliver that bill. An argument broke out between him and Swapan Mia's wife, Asma Akter, over the amount.
Rashed Mia informed Hamidur Rahman, in-charge of the Adarshanagar complaint center under Mohanganj Palli Bidyut, who then notified Imdadul Haque, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of the upazila office. On the DGM's instructions, the connection to Swapan Mia's house was cut that afternoon.
Hamidur Rahman, in-charge of the complaint center, said: "Rashed Mia, a Palli Bidyut employee, told me that when he went to deliver the bill, the customer hurled foul abuse at him. The customer even threatened to cut off the DGM's hands. After I informed the DGM, the connection was disconnected on his orders."
"There is no problem with the customer's meter or reading. Even so, when employees went to deliver the bill, they were abused, and I was also threatened with having my hands cut off, according to the complaint I received. That is why the connection was cut."
— Imdadul Haque, Deputy General Manager, Mohanganj Palli Bidyut Samity
Asma Akter was reached by phone around 7 pm on Saturday. She said there was no abuse or discourtesy toward Rashed Mia. She only wanted to know why the electricity bill was so high. In response, Rashed Mia told her to speak with the office staff. She then said, "Why should I go to the office? You just write down the bill and take it. The bill comes according to the figures you give."
According to Asma Akter, Rashed Mia then spoke to someone on his mobile phone. Later that afternoon, he returned on a motorcycle with an elderly man and said they would inspect the meter to check whether the bill was correct. They then disconnected the power supply at the meter and left. The house has had no electricity since.
Asma Akter added: "Only my husband and I live in the house. Our three daughters are married, and our son stays at a madrasa. So our electricity use shouldn't be high, yet the bills are very large. We run one refrigerator, two lights and a fan. Without electricity, the fish, meat and other items in the fridge have spoiled."
Rashed Mia did not answer when called on his mobile for comment.
When asked by Prothom Alo, DGM Imdadul Haque said by phone that there was no problem with the customer's meter or reading. He reiterated that he had received a complaint that employees were abused while delivering the bill and that he himself was threatened with having his hands cut off, which is why the connection was cut.
Asked whether disconnecting a customer's connection in this way was lawful, Imdadul Haque said their rules allow for such action. He said the matter would be discussed with local notables, and the connection would be restored if the customer gave assurances not to behave this way in the future.
Shah Alam, DGM of Kalmakanda Palli Bidyut Samity, who is acting as General Manager of Netrokona Palli Bidyut Samity, was also contacted. He initially said he was unaware of the matter and would look into it, but added that disconnecting a customer's power in this manner was not right, and that the customer would surely have understood had the matter been explained to them.
After inquiring, Shah Alam told Prothom Alo that he had been informed the customer verbally abused Palli Bidyut employees in unprintable language, which is why the DGM ordered the disconnection. He said he has asked the DGM to speak with the customer together with local people and arrange for the connection to be restored.