City Reporter: Out of 1.5 lakh PDB customers in Chittagong, 1.15 lakh customers have come under prepaid meters. The process of bringing the remaining 3.5 lakh customers under prepaid meters is ongoing. Earlier, the PD (Project Director) of the prepaid meter project was in Chittagong, but now the project is being run from Dhaka, said the engineers concerned at PDB. Meanwhile, some customers have told about their suffering with PDB’s prepaid meters, but PDB says otherwise; the engineers said that they have not found any harassment in the prepaid meters formed by the ministry with BUET experts.
Meanwhile, PDB’s revenue income has more than doubled due to the implementation of the prepaid meter project. PDB’s revenue income for the whole year (excluding winter) is above Tk 400 crore on average, said Shahidul Islam Mridha, Superintendent Engineer (North) of the Power Development Board (PDB) Chittagong region. He said, Now it is a little less in winter. Because electricity consumption is less in winter. Now it is around 300 crore taka on average. Except for winter, the revenue is over 400 crore taka.
Out of 1.5 lakh PDB customers in Chittagong, 1.15 lakh customers have come under the pre-paid meter so far, said Power Development Board (PDB) Chittagong region’s Superintendent Engineer (West) AKM Mamunul Bashri. Stating that the pre-paid meter activities are ongoing, he said there was a PD of this project in Chittagong earlier. Now this project is being operated from Dhaka. The work of those customers who did not come under the pre-paid meter is ongoing.
AKM Mamunul Bashri said, PDB’s revenue has increased a lot compared to before due to the pre-paid meter of electricity. Because before, people used to waste electricity. Now, with the pre-paid meter, they no longer waste it. Waste has reduced a lot. Earlier, customers had to pay bills. We used to receive hundreds of complaints every day (at the electricity office) about meter readers charging bills without looking at the meter. Now, those complaints are gone. Customers are recharging their cards and using electricity according to their capacity. Their difficulty in paying bills has reduced a lot. Now, if I-you are asked to switch from prepaid meters to previous meters, who will you-I go?
Regarding those who are complaining about prepaid meters, Engineer AKM Mamunul Bashri said that those who do not know how to use prepaid meters are complaining about prepaid meters. In view of these complaints about prepaid meters, a committee was formed by the ministry with three BUET teachers and experts. This expert committee examined the complaints of harassment of customers about prepaid meters and submitted a report to the ministry. In it, they found no harassment in prepaid meters. They said that these meters are timely.
