Govt realising ‘ghost bills’ of gas, power from consumers: BNP Nayadiganta English Desk

BNP on Monday alleged that the government is realising ‘ghost bills’ of electricity and gas from people to fill the ‘empty’ exchequer.

“The government is trying to fill the empty exchequer by putting knives in the throats of middle-class and low-income people… ghost electricity and gas bills have been imposed on people,” said BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, reports UNB.

He further said, “Not only that, threats are also being issued to cut off connections if the ghost bills are not paid by June. An inhumane evil quarter has been working to realise the abnormal electricity and gas bills.”

The BNP leader came up with the allegation while speaking at a virtual press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office.

He said the government is putting people in further troubles with the ghost utility bills when they are going through a serious ordeal due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rizvi said the government has become desperate to “suck people’s blood” to make up the deficit of money as the public coffer has got ‘depilated’ due to ‘widespread plundering’.

He said many tenants are in fear of getting evicted by their landlords for their failure to pay house rents since they have lost their income sources.

“We’ve seen a number of kind landlords who have waived the rents of tenants amid the pandemic. But many landlords are behaving cruelly with their tenants. The landlords are also collecting extra money from the tenants in various ways saying that the government has increased the tariffs of electricity and gas,” Rizvi observed.

He said banks are realising the interests from the small traders and borrowers mercilessly, though the government has announced to waive it.

Rizvi also came down heavily on the government for its policy of borrowing huge money from the financial sector, including banks.