Tk 506cr bill for 235 units; GM suspended
Mohitul Islam, general manager (GM) of Magura Palli Bidyut Samity, has been suspended temporarily after a bill of Tk 506,83,11,593 (about Tk 506.83 crore) was issued for just 235 units of electricity consumed in Magura.
The controlling authority of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) issued the suspension order by letter on Wednesday. He has also been attached to the office of the Superintending Engineer in Jashore.
Fazlul Anwar, AGM of Magura Palli Bidyut Samity, confirmed the matter. He said Shaheen Ahsan, DGM of Mohammadpur Upazila Palli Bidyut Samity in Magura, has been given additional charge as GM of Magura Palli Bidyut Samity.
Meanwhile, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, has expressed anger and regret over the issuing of the bogus and unrealistic bill.
After the incident emerged in the media and on social media, the minister himself spoke by mobile phone to the affected customer on Wednesday (30 September).
During the call, he sincerely apologised to the customer for the unwanted incident and the temporary mental distress and anxiety it caused.
He also assured the customer that the bill had already been corrected and the right bill delivered. He further asked her to report any such problem directly to the authorities in future.
Earlier, the abnormal figure was spotted in the September electricity bill of Mosammat Aleya Khatun of Kechuadubi village, Moghi Union, Magura Sadar Upazila.
The bill stated Tk 506,83,11,593 for 235 units of electricity. Based on the current meter reading, the bill for that level of consumption should have been only Tk 1,963.
It is reported that the meter reading on 8 August was 160 units. By 8 September, it had risen to 395 units, meaning consumption over the month was 235 units. After receiving the abnormal bill, the customer informed the Palli Bidyut office. The meter reading was then corrected and a new bill issued.
Aleya Khatun has paid the corrected bill. Admitting the abnormal bill, the then GM, Mohitul Islam, had said four people were issued show-cause notices for negligence of duty and asked to respond within seven working days.
The four are the billing assistant, the billing supervisor, the meter reader-cum-messenger, and the DGM of the Arpara Zonal Office concerned.
Mohitul Islam had also said that when the meter was replaced, one digit of the seal number was mistakenly posted in the demand charge field, producing the abnormal bill. The bill was later corrected and given to the customer.
Meanwhile, local residents allege that such errors by the Palli Bidyut authorities occur from time to time. There are also allegations that bills are sometimes prepared without checking the meter, causing ordinary customers hardship and harassment.
Customers expect the Palli Bidyut authorities to take effective measures to ensure that such errors and harassment do not happen again.
The minister has directed that strict departmental and disciplinary action be taken against other officials and employees involved, once the incident’s preliminary veracity is established.
