Consumers demand power price cut at public hearing on planned hike

Consumers have demanded the authorities cut power prices, saying that the plan to raise the prices aim to pass the burden created by corruption in Power Development Board or PDB on to the public.

They made the demand at the start of a public hearing of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission or BERC on the hike of power prices proposed by the PDB on Monday.

The PDB has proposed to raise power prices by Tk 0.72 to Tk 5.59 per unit on an average citing as much losses in 2015-16 financial year.

Gaibandha Irrigation Pump Owners' Association President Mahmudur Rahman maintained the PDB suffered the loss due to corruption by its staff.

"Now they are trying to shift the burden on our shoulder," he said.

The consumers are paying Tk 4.27 per unit of power on average now after hikes in prices five times at retail level and seven times for wholesalers since the Awami League came to power in 2009. The government raised power price for the last time in September 2015.

The BERC has moved to raise both retail and wholesale prices this time. Monday's public hearing was held only on the proposal to raise wholesale prices of electricity.

M Shamsul Alam, energy adviser to the Consumers Association of Bangladesh or CAB, threw questions at PDB officials for around an hour at the hearing.

Later, he concluded that the prices could be cut by Tk 0.01 to Tk 0.06 per unit instead of raising those.

Engineer Mobashwer Hossain backed Alam's demand.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh leader Ruhin Hossain Prince said it would be 'irrational' to raise power prices when the country was facing crises like the floods and Rohingya refugees.

Workers' Party General Secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha, MP, demanded cancellation of the proposal to hike power prices.

Energy sector infrastructure expert Saleque Sufi and Ganasanghati Andolan Coordinator Zonayed Saki, among others, also opposed the proposal.

BERC Chairman Monowar Hossain chaired the hearing.