Consumer Rights Protection Committees in Rangpur have announced a half-day hartal on November 30, demanding the removal of prepaid electricity meters, cancellation of the installation project and an end to customer harassment.
The hartal will be observed from 6:00am to noon if their five-point demands are not met by November 30.
The programme was announced at a press conference organised by the Rangpur Electricity Consumers Forum in front of Rangpur Press Club on Sunday afternoon.
Forum convener Anwar Hossain Bablu, member Arefin Titu and other leaders spoke at the press conference.
The forum’s five demands include removing all forcibly installed prepaid meters and restoring the previous digital postpaid meters; ending additional charges imposed in the name of meters, demand charges and mental harassment of consumers; and cancelling the North-West Power Generation Company (NESCO)’s prepaid meter installation project, which the forum described as anti-people, without public consent.
Speaking at the press conference, Bablu alleged that NESCO had long been forcing consumers to accept prepaid meters, adding to their financial burden.
“Previously, our monthly electricity bill was around Tk1,000 with conventional meters. Now, with prepaid meters, we have to pay Tk3,000. These meters must be removed, and the project introduced during the Awami League government must be cancelled,” he said.
He said Rangpur was a poverty-stricken region where rising prices had already made it difficult for people to make ends meet. Frequent load-shedding, alleged irregularities in the power sector and unusually high bills had further worsened public suffering, he added.
“We are announcing a full-scale half-day hartal from 6:00am to noon on November 30 to draw the attention of the head of government and press for the implementation of our demands,” Bablu said.
