Gaibandha farmers besiege PDB office

Farmers and owners of electricity driven irrigation pumps besieged Gaibandha Power Development Board (PDB) office yesterday demanding refund of the already realised additional bills and an end to issuing such inflated bills.

Agitating farmers said PDB authorities intentionally prepared high amounts of bills ignoring the existing rules and forcibly realised it from farmers to cover power system loss, causing huge losses to farmers using electricity-run irrigation pumps for boro farming.

Pump owners and farmers were compelled to pay the bills, but they later came to know the serious discrepancies in billing.

According to rule, PDB can claim bills for 120 days for operating irrigation pumps during the boro season, but PDB sent bills for 12 months, alleged the farmers.

The bills for 120 days would be about Tk one crore but the bills, sent for 12 months, crossed Tk 4 crore, they said.

Demanding refund of the additional bills and immediate end to giving such ghostly bills, the farmers warned of launching greater agitation otherwise.

Contacted over cell phone, the chief engineer PDB in Rangpur said the alleged discrepancies in bills will be settled by 17 of this month.