DPDC to reach bills to consumers 15 days ahead of payment schedule
Saturday, 26 July 2008
The newly created Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC), which took over the responsibility for electricity distribution in the city from DESA on July 1, has planned to reach electricity bills to the customers at least 15 days ahead of the payment date, reports UNB.
DPDC managing director Ataul Masud said his organisation is giving priority to issuance of the bill to the consumers with a 15-day time lag between the issue and payment dates.
"We're seriously working to evolve a system, so that our customers can get the bill at least 15 days before the payment schedule," he said.
It has been one of the prime allegations against the defunct Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA) that it used to issue electricity bills to the customers just one or two days before the payment date, which put them into a big trouble to ensure timely payment.
For this unfair practice by DESA, a large number of its customers became defaulter in their payment of bills, and had to pay the penalty for the delays. Besides, bill-receiving banks also had to face troubles in dealing with a huge rush of customers in queues.
Mentioning this hassle, Masud said DPDC has inherited the legacy through the makeover. "But we're now trying to get out of it."
He pointed out that the newborn DPDC has appointed some fresh IT professionals to prepare its bill perfectly.
"Now, we will emphasise timely billing and timely bill issuing. Then, we'll appoint either our own staff or competent courier service to ensure delivery of the bills timely to the customers' hands."
Another priority of the new power-sector offshoot is to address customers' complaints at the earliest possible time.
The DPDC chief said his organisation has a plan to introduce pre-paid metering system to improve the customer service.
His company has got 0.6 million DESA-customers across the capital and its adjoining areas, where power supply had long been in disarray that combined with generation shortfalls to cause nagging outages.
The DPDC was created in 2005 as a public limited company (PLC) to be operated as an independent corporate body in line with the power-sector reform recipe.
After the success of the Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO), the government created the DPDC to replace the DESA, which had turned into an ailing outfit in the public sector due to its alleged inefficiencies.
But the DPDC could not come into operation because of opposition from the trade unions and pending cases. However, the court cleared the company's way of late, as it ruled out the cases filed by some DESA-officials.
DPDC managing director Ataul Masud said his organisation is giving priority to issuance of the bill to the consumers with a 15-day time lag between the issue and payment dates.
"We're seriously working to evolve a system, so that our customers can get the bill at least 15 days before the payment schedule," he said.
It has been one of the prime allegations against the defunct Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA) that it used to issue electricity bills to the customers just one or two days before the payment date, which put them into a big trouble to ensure timely payment.
For this unfair practice by DESA, a large number of its customers became defaulter in their payment of bills, and had to pay the penalty for the delays. Besides, bill-receiving banks also had to face troubles in dealing with a huge rush of customers in queues.
Mentioning this hassle, Masud said DPDC has inherited the legacy through the makeover. "But we're now trying to get out of it."
He pointed out that the newborn DPDC has appointed some fresh IT professionals to prepare its bill perfectly.
"Now, we will emphasise timely billing and timely bill issuing. Then, we'll appoint either our own staff or competent courier service to ensure delivery of the bills timely to the customers' hands."
Another priority of the new power-sector offshoot is to address customers' complaints at the earliest possible time.
The DPDC chief said his organisation has a plan to introduce pre-paid metering system to improve the customer service.
His company has got 0.6 million DESA-customers across the capital and its adjoining areas, where power supply had long been in disarray that combined with generation shortfalls to cause nagging outages.
The DPDC was created in 2005 as a public limited company (PLC) to be operated as an independent corporate body in line with the power-sector reform recipe.
After the success of the Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO), the government created the DPDC to replace the DESA, which had turned into an ailing outfit in the public sector due to its alleged inefficiencies.
But the DPDC could not come into operation because of opposition from the trade unions and pending cases. However, the court cleared the company's way of late, as it ruled out the cases filed by some DESA-officials.