Magura:The general manager of Magura Palli Bidyut Samity, Md Mohitul Islam, has been suspended following the issuance of an erroneous electricity bill amounting to nearly Tk 507 crore to a residential customer for 235 units of usage.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the suspension was ordered by Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood after the incident gained media and social media attention. The minister also directed departmental and disciplinary actions against other involved officials and employees.
The affected customer, Aleya Khatun from Kechuadubi village in Magura Sadar upazila, received a September bill totaling Tk 5,06,83,11,593. The error was attributed to a technical mistake during a meter replacement, where digits from the meter's seal number were incorrectly entered into the demand charge field.
Minister Iqbal Hassan personally contacted Khatun to apologize for the distress caused and confirmed that the bill had been corrected with a revised version already sent. He encouraged Khatun to report any future issues to the authorities.
An immediate investigation was launched following the incident, confirming the technical error. The minister emphasized the government's commitment to a service-oriented administration, assuring that complaints regarding electricity services will be addressed promptly to alleviate public concerns.