Outreach: Tangail, December 2009

The Consumer Outreach Program on "Electricity Regulation and Consumer Rights" is an essential stride to improve the perception regarding electricity regulatio in Bangladesh. This is the first ever energy regulatory consumer seminar in Tangail.

ICEA local partner LawDev (Bangladesh) facilitated this BERC outreach event with cooperation from Bhokta Moncho, Tangail District Committee. The outreach event took place at the Public Library in Tangail on 12 December 2009. Representatives from different organizations and people of various phases of that locality participated in the meeting including BERC members, consumer advocates, General Manager of PBS, Executive Engineer of PDB, Upazilla Mayor, General Secretary of Tangail Chamber of Commerce, Upazilla Vice Chairman of Tangail, Deputy Director of Tangail Public Library, social workers, teachers, students, housewives, local workers, NGOs, and representatives from Bhokta Moncho.

The meeting began with a report prepared on the current issues regarding electricity usage in our country, which was delivered by Zebunnesa Mahmood Chaina (Executive Director, Dheu). Thereafter Jamilur Rahman Miron (Mayor, Tangail Pouroshobha) gave the welcome speech to commence the discussion session of the meeting followed by some other top level social workers of that locality. Then, one by one, the common consumers started to raise their voice.. Most importantly, some of the consumers, especially the local NGOs complained that they are not yet aware of the existence of the regulatory body named Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) through which they can actually get some justice.

Mr. Obaydur Rahman, GM of Tangail PBS, in his address provided some statistics to satisfy the local people of the limited resource of PBSs. He also answered some of the issues raised by the participants of the meeting. He mentioned that PBSs are not responsible for all the failures in the electricity service market. He accused the upper stream authority and the limited available/allocated resources for this lacking in their service. Mr. Rafiqul Islam, Executive Engineer of PDB, raised almost the same excuses provided by the PBS member and he also invited all the general consumers to save electricity by being a little more calculative in its using. Thereafter, Mr. Ebnul Sayeed Rana from the Bhokta Moncho Central Committee gave a brief description of this consumer organization, which has been working to safeguard the rights of the energy consumers.

Towards the conclusion of the meeting BERC member Md. Emdadul Haque gave a concise introduction of BERC. He mentioned this body as a quasi-judiciary one, which is mainly aimed towards saving the consumers from any illegality of the utility service (power, gas, petroleum etc.) providers. He insisted that the local consumers to have patience and undergo due process of law in retaining their rights. He also shared his recent experience of USAID sponsored study tour in Greece and the USA. Finally he also called upon all the participants to be prudent in consuming electricity, and save as much as possible for the greater benefit of the nation.