PDB's due arrears amount to Tk 40.19b

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Power Development Board (PDB) is owed Tk 40.19 billion in outstanding arrears by different government and private institutions, according to a PDB estimate, reports bdnews24.com.
The unpaid dues have piled up since PDB was established in 1991, and amounts to a total of Tk 107.24 billion, up to August 2007, including surcharges.
PDB Chairman Md Khizir Khan said, "If the total dues were realised, the amount could be spent for the development of the power sector."
"PDB would be able to generate a total of 1,000-mw per year with the money, and there would be no need to request the donors for help in power generation," said Khan.
PDB officials said, Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA) alone owes Tk 32.26 billion, or Tk 99.31 billion with surcharge.
The amount due from DESA is equivalent to bills for 31.5 months, according to a PDB report, despite the fact that DESA has been paying its bills regularly for the last three years.
Over the last three years, DESA has paid an additional Tk 3.0 billion, above its regular power expenditure, in an attempt to pay off the arrears.
Rural Electrification Board (REB) stands second in the list of the bill defaulters, owing a total of Tk 2.51 billion to PDB.
The partly privatised Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) owes Tk 1.08 billion, and Westzone Power Distribution Company owes Tk 0.53 billion.
PDB is also owed arrears worth Tk 0.27 billion from other government organisations, Tk 0.42 million is owed by autonomous bodies, while the private sector owes Tk 3.12 billion.
Khizir Khan said, "We have informed the higher authorities of the matter. There has been no outcome though a number of meetings have been held in this regard."
"DESA owes the highest amount. We were supposed to get their dues earlier, but DESA is not paying up. The others have arrears of only one or two months."
The dues of DESA and REB have become a huge burden. DESA is showing reluctance to pay the money, giving various reasons such as budgetary shortage, said PDB officials.
They also said, different government organisations had paid up bills up to June.
Mobile courts, led by 15 magistrates, were in operation cutting off connections every month for non-payment of dues, they added.