With the high electricity demand during summer, the agony of load shedding increases. Due to lower demand during winter, load shedding is also relatively less.
But the common consumer never gets uninterrupted power supply. However, the case for VIP customers is different. Apart from the energy crisis, the biggest problems in the power sector are irregularities, corruption and wastage.
In the survey by the Power Cell of the power department, it is seen that eight per cent of new customers have to pay extra, over and above the government stipulated charges to get new electric connections. And 19 per cent complain about load shedding.
The survey was done on 15,245 customers. About 91 per cent of the customers who participated in the survey are from the residential sector. Others are from industry, commerce and agricultural irrigation sectors.
The positive aspect that emerged in the survey is that the use of online or mobile phone service is increasing every month to pay the electricity bills. 99 per cent of customers expressed satisfaction in paying bills through this process.
In the survey, 34 per cent of customers reported not getting uninterrupted power. 58 percent of customers said that there is no electricity for an average of half an hour a day. 21 per cent of the customers reported that there was no electricity for up to an hour.
Apart from this, customers regularly complain to the distribution company about the electricity service by phone or directly. About 64 per cent of this is due to power outages and 34 percent due to load shedding.
Habibur Rahman, senior secretary of the electricity department, said that the more technical modernisation can be done, the more the customer service will increase and they will not have to go to middlemen. But it is also necessary to look into why there is a delay in technological modernisation.
As far as the whole country is concerned, all customers of Dhaka city have not yet been brought to the prepaid billing system. Postpaid billing systems are prone to theft and corruption. There are also allegations of misappropriating billions by tampering with bills.
The 38 per cent people who expressed dissatisfaction with the high price of electricity is not only due to the shortage of fuel. On the one hand, the government is giving huge subsidies to the power sector, on the other hand, consumers are also forced to buy electricity at higher prices. So, who is getting the benefit of the subsidy? Ordinary customers, or owners of rental and quick rental power plants in the name of capacity charge? Rental and quick rental power plants were allowed in 2010 as a temporary solution to the problem. But that temporary arrangement lasted for more than a decade and the government had to pay billions in subsidies.
Like other sectors of government, the power sector also lacks transparency and accountability. Such a survey can play a role in solving that deficiency. Development of any sector requires close communication between customers and service providers. Hopefully, the authorities will try to resolve the issues raised in the Power Cell survey.
The problems and complaints of the customers were known through the survey of Power Cell. It is now necessary to take effective and sustainable steps to implement the recommendations of the survey.
Otherwise, the pilferage and wastage of the power sector will not decrease, and customer dissatisfaction will continue to increase. It is expected that transparency and accountability will be ensured in the power sector.