Dhaka, May 27 – The High Court Sunday issued a rule asking the authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why the decision of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission taken on November 23 for hiking power tariff in retailer and wholesale level, should not be declared illegal. In response to a writ petition, the HC bench comprising Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Md Ashraful Kamal issued the rule.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), its chairman and power secretary have been made respondents to reply to the rule within four weeks.
Mubassher Hossain, the convener of Consumer Association of Bangladesh Architect, filed the writ petition with the HC on May 23 saying that the energy regulatory commission issued an order about raising power tariff at wholesale and retail markets is a violation of the law.
Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, counsel for the petitioner told reporters that the BERC held a mass hearing from September 25 to October 5 in last year.
According to the BERC Act of 2003, the commission has to issue an order in 90 days on the mass hearing but the commission did not issue any order on the decision of mass hearing.
Without giving any written order, the government took the decision of hiking of price, which is illegal in the eye of the law, Barua said.
The petitioner filed the petition with the High Court as the government did not follow the rules and regulations regarding the matter before hiking the power price. After the initial hearing, the HC bench yesterday issued the rule, he added.
Much to the chagrin of consumers, rights groups and businesses, the BERC, November 23 last year, raised the power tariff by 5.3 percent or Tk 0.35 per kilowatt-hour unit on an average. The tariff was hiked to meet the revenue requirement of power distributors.
The BERC raised the price of electricity by Tk 0.35 per unit, or 5.3 percent. The price hike was implemented in December last year.
The use of 75 units by households per month raised costs by Tk 15, 100 units cost an additional Tk 22, 150 units cost Tk 48 more, 250 units cost Tk 90 more, 350 units cost Tk 137 more, 450 units cost an additional Tk 196 and 1,000 units cost Tk 604 more, according to BERC’s calculations.
But the removal of a minimum price meant that those using less than 15 units would receive a discount between Tk 17 to Tk 22.
