The power distribution companies have brought allegations of the stranded Bihari residents at the camps at Mirpur and Mohammadpur not paying their electricity since they were granted citizenship status in 2016.

The two camps reportedly owe Tk 930 million in bills to Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC).

On Saturday (Oct 5) dozens of people including law enforcement members were injured in intermittent clashes between police and Bihari residents at Geneva Camp in Mohammadpur

While the authorities blame the camp residents, they in turn claim that since they don’t have individual electric metres, complications arise. The residents also complained of regular load shedding.

Although they have been given voter id’s there are no holding number at the camps and land taxes go unpaid.

A holding number approved by Rajdhani Unnayan Katripakkha is a must for electric lines to be provided. However, it’s not legally possible to for an electric line to be provided when the camp residents are still to establish rights on the land.

DPDC said that they refuse to accept electric metres offered to be set up in alternative methods. They added that whereas they cut off power when two months of bills go unpaid, it’s not being done at the camps.

DPDC Managing Director Bikash Dewan said that prior to being granted citizenship status, the relief and disaster management is to foot the electricity bills at the camps.

“The ministry stopped paying after the 2016-17 fiscal. They wrote to us saying that since the Geneva Camp residents have been recognised as citizens, they have to pay their own electricity bills but they are not doing it,” he said.

Another DPDC employee told Bangla Tribune that Geneva Camp residents owe Tk 330 million in bills and several meetings have been held over the matter.

“We have asked each of them to take separate metres but they refuse. They aren’t even paying the bills under the seven metres,” he said.

DPDC Director (operation) ATM Harun Ur Rashid said that their employee and local OC met with the residents on Wednesday (Oct 2).

“They were asked to pay the bills and now they are protesting without paying. We haven’t yet cut of supply,” he said.

He dismissed the allegations of regular load shedding for four hours, he said that it might have been caused by faulty lines and it can be resolved through separate metres, proper lines and regular payments.  “They have been offered to pay in installments but they refuse.”

It has been reported that none of the Bihari residents in the camps across the country pay regular utility bills.

DESCO Managing Director Shahid Sarwar said that the Mirpur Bihari camp residents have taken a stay order from the court for not paying bills which have accumulated to Tk 600 million.

Meanwhile, the residents have denied the power distribution company’s allegations saying that they do want separate metres but won’t put up with regular load shedding.

“The load shedding at Geneva Camp is unbearable,” said Bihari organisation The Stranded Pakistanis General Repatriation Committee General Secretary Shawkat Ali.

He added that they met with the local ward councilor and the power division representatives on Oct 4 but no solution came up.

“We’ll take metres if the power division wants to provide it,” he said and added that they want to abide with the ruled like regular citizens.