A series of meetings and regular exchange of letters for months failed to make any progress in realising about Tk 400 crore due bills and surcharges from the city corporations and municipalities across the country by the five power distribution agencies.
The surcharge on the Tk 158.53 crore long overdue bills of the five power distribution agencies has reached Tk 239.91 crore.
Officials of power distribution agencies said that efforts in realising the dues are limited to sending reminders from time to time.
The Power Division with the Local Government Division have been dealing with the issue for more than a year, they said. When asked about the reason of the non-payment of the huge outstanding bills and surcharge by Dhaka City Corporation to the power distribution agencies, the DCC mayor, Sadek Hossain Khoka, on Monday refused to answer on the issue saying that he was out of his work station and needed to check the relevant files.
In an inter-ministerial meeting led by power secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad, the Power Division decided to offer the defaulters to have the opportunity to pay the undisputed dues through 24 instalments on the basis of recommendation of the local committees which were formed to assist the power distribution agencies in realising the outstanding dues of the government and autonomous bodies.
Local Government Division secretary Abu Alam Mohammad Shaid Khan, and high officials of both the Power Division and the Local Government Division attended the meeting.
The Power Division on June 23 formed a number of local committees with representatives of power consumers and power distribution agencies concerned, led by the deputy commissioners.
The inter-ministerial meeting on Monday also revised the committee formation as per which the divisional commissioner will lead the committee of the divisional cities.
On disputed dues, referring to the decision of the meeting, a Power Division official said that the dues would be determined by the local committee through discussions.
‘If the local committee fails to solve the dispute the matter will go to the divisional committee and the concerned ministries will handle the matter if the divisional committee fails,’ he said.
On the demand of waiving surcharges on bills, the official said that the Power Division did not have the right to do so. It would be waived taking the consent of the Finance Division, if required.
The Power Division also denied the demand of the municipalities to impose TAX on electricity poles as the matter was a public service concern, he added.
Most of the city corporations and municipalities have been demanding for waiver of the huge surcharges on the bills.
According to the statistics available with the Power Division, the Dhaka Power Distribution Company has the highest outstanding bill and surcharges of about Tk 187 crore and the Bangladesh Power Development Board has the second highest dues of about Tk 156.27 crore with the city corporations and municipalities.
Among other power distribution agencies, the West Zone Power Distribution Company has outstanding dues of more than Tk 32.88 crore and the Dhaka Electricity Supply Company about Tk 16.10 crore and the Palli-Bidyut Samitis under the Rural Electrification Board have outstanding dues of about Tk 6.25 crore with the city corporations and municipalities.
-With New Age input
