Remedies for excessive electricity bills

Recently, a growing number of consumers across Bangladesh have reported unusually high electricity bills, with many claiming their monthly charges doubled or even tripled compared to previous billing cycles. In such circumstances, consumers have been baffled by one common question: where to seek redress, and how to avail it?

The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) is the forum responsible for ensuring the quality of electricity services and receiving consumer complaints online. It was established under section 4 of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Act, 2003. Section 54 of the 2003 Act requires every electricity distribution licensee to establish an adequate number of complaint centres to receive and address consumers’ complaints and service-related difficulties. Upon receiving a complaint, the licensee then moves to investigate and resolve the matter within seven (7) days in accordance with the Code of Practice prescribed by the BERC. The consumer may also opt for arbitration with the licensee by submitting an application to the Commission under section 40 of the Act.

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Furthermore, BERC’s complaint portal also provides for a designated telephone number (+880255110308) and email address (chair.berc.bd@gmail.com) for consumers seeking information relating to any complaints or service. Notably, the Commission had also prepared a draft BERC Electricity Retail Consumer Complaint Handling Regulations in 2017 to ensure timely and proper resolution of consumers’ complaints and grievances. However, no update is publicly available about the adoption of this regulation.

Notably, the Power Division serves as the central government authority for electricity-related grievances. An aggrieved person may access the Power Division webpage (https://powerdivision.gov.bd/) and centrally lodge a complaint with the Grievance Redress System (https://www.grs.gov.bd) or hotline (16999). The Grievance Redress System (GRS) is a key online grievance management platform established by the Government of Bangladesh to ensure the effective delivery of public services. It aims to enhance the quality and accountability of services provided by government agencies.

Any citizen of Bangladesh may submit a complaint through this platform regarding dissatisfaction, grievances, or concerns about services received from any government office by selecting the relevant division or ministry. The platform also enables citizens to track the progress of their complaints and view the final decision or resolution.

Lastly, depending on where the consumer lives, complaints can be submitted through dedicated call centres, telephone numbers, email, or the respective official websites with the relevant electricity distributor such as Power Division (Hotline: 16999), Bangladesh Power Development Board (https://bpdb.gov.bd/), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (https://dpdc.org.bd/site/home_gov/contact), Dhaka Electricity Supply PLC (https://desco.gov.bd/), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (https://reb.gov.bd/pages/web-forms/6922d3c381fc96cef9e9bff6), West Zone Power Distribution Company Ltd (https://wzpdcl.org.bd/), and Northern Electricity Supply PLC (https://nesco.gov.bd/).

The writer is an intern at Law Desk, The Daily Star.