Rural Electrification Board (REB) sought maximum electricity tariff hike by 23.04 per cent for irrigation, drawing sharp criticism from consumers and rights groups.
The REB, which is dedicated to supplying electricity to rural Bangladesh, has proposed to increase the electricity tariff for irrigation to Tk 4.70 per unit (1 kilowatt hour) from the existing rate of Tk 3.39-3.96 per unit.
In a presentation elaborating on justification of the electricity tariff hike at the public hearing at Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Thursday, REB chairman Brigadier General Moin Uddin sought an average increase in electricity tariff by 12.58 per cent to reduce its losses.
Technical evaluation committee of BERC, however, recommended an average hike by 3.48 per cent for the REB consumers.
Seeking the maximum hike for irrigation, the REB top brass hoped that the government would provide subsidy to irrigation-based local 'samitees' (associations) to cope with the increased tariff.
Different consumers and rights groups protested the tariff hike in irrigation strongly, saying it would destroy the farmers.
Production costs of agro-based products would go up with the rise in electricity tariff, they said.
Maximum tariff hike in irrigation would destroy farming, they argued.
REB would not be able to take up new development projects to improve its system, unless the tariff was enhanced, the REB chairman said.
REB has 253,652 irrigation consumers, which is 90 per cent of the country's total irrigation utilisers, he added.
With Thursday's public hearing, the energy regulator completed three days' public hearing on electricity tariff hike proposals from five state-owned power distribution companies.
Announcement of a new tariff hike might come anytime soon with a retrospective effect from March 1.
"I am in a critical juncture," over the tariff hike, said BERC chairman AR Khan in his concluding remarks.
Justifying a hike in electricity tariff, he said the economic condition of common people had improved with the development of the country. The new tariff might have a 'win-win' proposition, he said.
Over the past several years, electricity generation cost has increased with the rise in its generation as the country could not generate electricity from base-load power plants with cheaper generation costs.
The BERC chairman hoped that the electricity tariff would gradually come down in the near future.
BERC member Md Maksudul Haque criticised REB for submitting the tariff hike proposal in a 'hotchpotch' manner.
He warned the top management of REB urging them to refrain from indulging in any 'mockery' while making a price hike proposal in the future.
Protesting the electricity tariff hike, Ruhin Hossain Prince of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) said it would be a totally anti-people and anti-agriculture move.
The hike in electricity tariff would increase food production costs, he added.
The government has moved to hike electricity tariff as a sequel to its 'failed policy,' Gono Sanghoti Andolon leader Jonayed Saki said.
Rental and quick rental power plants have increased electricity tariff costs, he added.
Any hike in electricity tariff would result in 'outburst' from the consumers, said Nagorik Oikyo leader Iftekhar Ahmed Babu
A number of consumers alleged that REB was creating trouble for the rural consumers in the name of collecting bills.
