50.68 Billion Taka Power Bill for 235 Units: Magura Palli Bidyut GM Suspended

PNN News Desk | Magura

Magura Palli Bidyut Samity General Manager (GM) Md. Mahitul Islam has been temporarily suspended after an electricity bill of Tk 5.068 billion was generated for the consumption of only 235 units of electricity in Magura.

The action was taken by the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board following an emergency directive from Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday (September 30).

The unusually high electricity bill came to the attention of the power minister after details of the incident spread through the media and social media. The minister later spoke to the customer over the phone and expressed regret over the incident.

During the phone conversation, the minister said the error had already been corrected and a revised bill had been delivered to the customer. He also requested the customer to promptly inform the relevant authorities if any similar problem occurs in the future.

The incident originated with the September electricity bill issued in the name of Mosa. Aleya Khatun, a resident of Kechuadubi village in Magura Sadar upazila's Maghi Union. The bill, issued in the name of Aleya Khatun, wife of retired teacher Shahidul Islam, showed an amount of more than Tk 5.06 billion payable against consumption of only 235 units of electricity.

The bill amount was so disproportionately high compared with normal household consumption that it sparked widespread discussion and concern in the area. The matter subsequently came to the attention of the relevant authorities.

Md. Rezaul Karim, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of Magura Palli Bidyut Samity's Arpara Zonal Office, said the unusually high bill was generated due to a technical error during the replacement of the customer's electricity meter.

According to him, several digits from the meter seal number were mistakenly entered into the demand charge field during the meter replacement process. As a result, a huge bill was generated that was completely inconsistent with the customer's actual electricity consumption.

The authorities said the error has been corrected and a revised electricity bill has been prepared and delivered to the customer. Administrative action has also been taken against the officials concerned following the incident.