After a tariff increase took effect in June, many customers of Bangladesh’s electricity distribution companies reported unusually high bills — and, in some instances, phantom charges. The bills have stirred widespread unease. Adding to the distress, prepaid meter recharges now generate token numbers exceeding a hundred digits, a process customers describe as cumbersome and a source of constant worry.
Distribution companies were instructed to investigate and settle billing complaints swiftly. Yet dissatisfaction persists, and many consumers have vented their anger at the additional cost.
The power division on Monday moved to address the outcry. It said the higher June bills resulted not only from the tariff adjustment but also from increased electricity consumption. The division added that most complaints arose from misunderstandings.
For Mansur Alam, a residential prepaid meter user in the capital’s Kalabagan area, the problems run deeper. He normally tops up his DPDC meter with BDT 3,500 to 4,000 a month, spread across several payments. In June, his connection cut out abruptly. The company told him the meter lacked sufficient funds.
Worried, Alam visited the DPDC regional office. There he discovered that while the meter was automatic, it was not transmitting daily consumption readings. Instead, the readings piled up — sometimes daily, sometimes after ten days, sometimes a fortnight’s worth of data arriving at once. He asked why. DPDC officials gave him no clear answer on whether the meter was functioning properly. He left with an explanation, but the bill remained suspiciously high and his questions about the meter readings went unanswered.
For Tapan Kumar, a DESCO customer in Mirpur’s Khejurtola area, the complaint is not the bill itself but the recharge process. Prepaid token numbers exceed a hundred digits. He repeatedly mistypes them. The meter does not connect to DESCO’s app, so he cannot check his remaining balance. He has lodged multiple complaints with DESCO but to no effect. Now, even after recharging each month, he lives in fear of a sudden disconnection.
Many prepaid and conventional meter users have told Bonik Barta of excessive bills, prepaid balances that drain suspiciously fast and billing disputes that remain unresolved. Since the tariff rose last month, these complaints have become a daily occurrence.
In the capital’s DESCO service area, one customer saw a monthly bill that typically ranged between BDT 4,500 and 7,000 leap to BDT 15,000 in a single billing cycle after the price increase. He approached DESCO for an explanation and received none. When he asked whether the meter itself might be to blame, the utility offered no specific answer.
Abnormally high bills are not a new occurrence in the country. Previous investigations into phantom charges uncovered technical glitches, defective meters and irregular meter-reading practices. This time, however, the power division attributes the spike to higher consumption and a change in the tariff slab — not to equipment failure.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit addressed the outcry at a press conference at Bidyut Bhaban’s Bijoy Hall on Monday. “Most complaints about electricity bills arose from misunderstanding. They have been resolved,” he said. “We addressed every complaint individually, and we found that the vast majority were indeed the result of misunderstanding.” He explained that most customers had compared their May bill with April’s. “When you compare it with June of the previous year, it matches for most.”
The power division also used the briefing to detail the government’s priorities for the power sector, public-welfare measures, meter rent policy and the June billing grievances.
The division now says the June bill surge stemmed not just from the tariff adjustment but also from a sharp rise in consumption. For residential customers, higher usage pushes the bill into a costlier slab, inflating the total. The division concedes, however, that a few clerical errors have surfaced and are being remedied.
Secretary Mirana Mahrukh presented the division’s written statement. “We checked the bills that people called phantom,” she said. “Many showed no mechanical fault. Bills rose because of higher usage and the tariff increase. After verification, customers were satisfied. In some instances, clerical errors occurred and have been corrected.”
On July 2, the division convened a review meeting to discuss the billing complaints and the recent load-shedding situation. It decided customers should contact their distribution company directly or via a hotline for swift resolution of billing disputes. A notice carrying the hotline numbers was subsequently issued.
At the CAB seminar on Monday, Power Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud said, “Higher consumption pushed customers into a different tariff slab. That is why bills went up. Middle- and lower-middle-income households now have air conditioners. Those air conditioners run. Bills can rise for many reasons. Still, I am not claiming our personnel are honest — though digital and prepaid meters are reducing it (corruption) somewhat. We are chasing the utilities over billing. We are checking wherever complaints come in. A report is being prepared, so some problems do exist.” He also asked for the issues to be checked and reported.