Power distribution companies continues preparing ghost bills as meter readers could not inspect house to house for preparing monthly bills.
Many users are filing complaints about the overbill to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC). The BERC following the complaints have repeatedly gave directives to investigate and resolve the issue.
Customers of Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (Desco), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC), and the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) are now gathering at customer service points with even more complaints.
Rahath Ali, a resident of Dhaka’s Malibagh, said he has received bills that are significantly higher than normal for four consecutive months.
“I usually pay around Tk2,000 for power per month, but I got a bill that was almost three times higher in June,” he said.
Nazrul Islam , a banker also alleged that he was being overbilled by the power company.
Consumers from across the country voiced similar complaints on overbilling by power companies on social media.
Amirul Islam of Nalcity upazila in Jhalakathi in a newspaper comment accused the BPDB of serving him a Tk10,202 bill for the past three months, without reading his meter.
“The bill was prepared without reading our meter. The bills showed consumption of 1,200 additional units,” wrote Amirul.
Usually, each consumer is overcharged by 10-15 units for the last three months of each fiscal year. With the additional revenue, the companies can fill in their costs for system loss and maintain their performance before the government, the official said.
Sources said the government asked the authorities to collect bills for the last three months by taking an average from the previous three months, as meter readers have not been allowed inside homes to take readings since the Covid-19 pandemic arrived in the country.
They also said the distribution companies made a mess of the system and came up with ghost billing (overbilling).