3.0pc tariff hike for rural power users

FE Team | Published: November 27, 2009 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Consumers under the Rural Electrification Board (REB) will have to pay at least a 3.0 per cent extra charge for electricity usages from next month as the government has decided on the power-price hike, reports UNB.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has decided to increase the rate for the rural electricity users. BERC chairman Syed Yusuf Hossain at a press conference Thursday announced the new rates for the rural people of the country.
According to the new decision of the BERC, the minimum bill for electricity under REB domain will be Tk 65 from Tk 63 (3.0 per cent higher) for those who will use 0-25 units. This rate is for resident users.
If the consumed units are under 100, the resident consumers have to pay Tk 2.64-Tk 3.03 while the previous unit price was Tk 2.53-Tk 2.90. The increase in this slab is 4.5 percent.
The consumers who will use 101-300 units have to pay Tk 2.81-Tk 3.23, up from the previous rate of Tk 2.57-Tk 2.95. In this slab the rate increased 9.50 percent.
The rate for 301-500 units will be Tk 4.28-Tk 4.56 while the past rate was Tk 3.89-Tk 4.15. It's a 9.90 percent rise in the slab.
Under the re-fixed tariffs, the rate increased 13 percent for those who will use more than 500 units. The rate per unit in this slab is Tk 5.64-Tk 6.72 while the previous rate was 4.99-Tk 5.95.
The resident users have to pay Tk 6 for service charge with Tk 12 for demand charge. Previously, the service charge was Tk 5 while the demand charge was Tk 10.
For the business users the tariffs increased 9.90 percent with the rate per unit being Tk 5.62-Tk 5.66 from the previous rate Tk 4.99-Tk 5.95.
"No enhancement for the charity organisations and irrigation purposes," says the decision.
For the general industry the new rate is Tk 4.30-Tk 4.51 whereas the previous rate was Tk 3.91-Tk 4.10. The increase of rate in this slab is 9.90 percent.
Big industries in the rural areas have to pay bills with 9.90 percent extras as the BERC decided to fix the rate at Tk 4.48-Tk 4.34 from the previous rate of Tk 3.80-Tk 3.95.
For street-lamp category the bill will increase 9.90 percent where the minimum charge will be Tk 250 from Tk 225-Tk 230.
The BERC chairman said that they have taken the decision to increase the retail price for the REB consumers as the Power Development Board (PDB) increased the bulk rate for the REB up to 16 percent.