Rangpur consumers block road demanding removal of prepaid metres

Rangpur consumers observed a half-hour shutdown on Thursday demanding the removal of prepaid electricity metres and restoration of the previous postpaid digital metres, citing rising electricity costs.
Rangpur Electricity Consumer Forum organised the programme from 11am at Shapla Chattar, Ship Company intersection and several other parts of the city. During the protest, vehicles stopped and shopkeepers closed their businesses, bringing traffic to a standstill for about 30 minutes. Consumers, transport workers, traders, students and other residents joined the protest.
During the protest, local businessman Abu Salek said, “We want our previous post-paid digital metres to remain. We will not accept prepaid metres. If NESCO does not stop installing them, we will launch a larger movement,” he said.
Several consumers complained that electricity costs had increased significantly after the installation of prepaid metres. Moyna Khatun, a student from Alamnagar, said her electricity bill increased from Tk1,180 in June to Tk3,130 in July.
Rickshaw driver Mohammad Arif, who stopped his vehicle during the shutdown, said his monthly electricity expenses had increased from around Tk300-400 to nearly Tk800-1,200. Teacher Avanti Akhtar said prepaid metres had caused difficulties for families with children. At the same time, small businessman Shamsul Islam and grocery shopkeeper Chabirul Mia also alleged that their electricity expenses had increased significantly after prepaid metres were installed.
At the programme, forum adviser Mirza Babar Babul warned that consumers would announce tougher programmes, including a hartal, if their demands were not met.
Forum district convener Prof Delwar Hossain said their demands included removing all prepaid metres, reinstalling the previous postpaid digital metres, and providing digital metres to those who had applied within seven days. He also demanded that consumers receive accurate monthly bills on time. At the end of the programme, forum member secretary Ahsanul Arefin said NESCO have time until 19 September to meet the demands.
He announced that consumers would submit a mass petition and would stage a protest in front of the NESCO office on 20 September with the petitions. A stricter programme would be announced from there if the demands were not met.