CAB legal notice seeks to stop 'illegal' power bill collection

A legal notice was served on Sunday on the respondents to stop collection of 'illegal' arrear electricity bills from the consumers for the months of March to May, 2020 by the electricity distribution authorities as those were prepared in violation of the Rules of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Act, 2003.
The notice also demanded cancellation of the aforesaid bills and preparation of customized bills based on actual meter reading for each consumer and not to realize late fine from the consumers against the aforesaid three months' bills.
It demanded publication of information on the websites of electricity distribution authorities about the amount of consumer-wise excessive bills collected/prepared by them on the basis of aforesaid illegal and unauthorized bills.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, a Supreme Court lawyer, sent the notice on behalf of Consumer Association of Bangladesh (CAB), represented by its Convener, Architect Mubassher Hossain.
Power division secretary of ministry of power, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), chairman of BERC, chairman of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (DESCO), West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL) and Northern Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) have been made respondents in the notice.
The notice asked the respondents to take punitive action against the responsible persons for preparing fake bills and to inform the notice sender in writing about the action(s) taken against them within 5 days from the date of service of this notice.
Otherwise, appropriate legal action would be taken against the respondents without any further intimation, also read the notice.
The notice sender said that they have been monitoring the billing of electricity by the distribution authorities during the Covid- 19 pandemic period and found massive irregularities and corruptions.
In the meantime, CAB on May 24, 2020 made a formal complain to the respondents regarding collection of excessive bills from the consumers by the authorities during Covid- 19 pandemic period.
In the said complain, CAB made certain demands to stop collection of the aforesaid illegal bills, after cancelling the bills, prepare fresh bills on the basis of actual meter reading and previous usages of each consumers and to take punitive action against the responsible persons. But the demands were unheeded by the respondents.

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