in Barisal city are not paying electricity bills for eight years, depriving the Power Development Board (PDB) of over Tk two core in arrears.

Besides the arrears, around Tk six lakh monthly power bills remain unpaid now.

Owners of the ice factories had filed a case with the High Court in November 1996, alleging 'ghost billing' by the PDB. Twenty-six cases were filed on a day. The arrears power bills till November 1996 was around Tk 1.77 crore.

The High Court in an order stayed realisation of arrears bills and asked the ice factory owners to pay monthly current bills.

But no one of them paid any monthly bill since then, according to sources in West Zone Power Distribution Company (WZPDC), a company created by PDB which owns all its (PDB) installations now.

Sources among the ice factory owners also admitted non-payment of bills.

The alleged defaulters are National, Murad, Meghna, Rakib, Progoti, Jamuna, Faruk, Rupali, Shahbazpur, Barisal, Bakerganj, Rupali (2), Super, Sonali, Janata, Janata (2), Tripti, Bhola, Humayun, Humaun (2), Madhumati, Bhuiya, M Alam, M Alam (2), Rezaul Alam and Humayun (3) ice factories.

Mysteriously, since the stay order, authorities of neither the erstwhile PDB nor the present WZPDC took any move to vacate the order or disposal of the case, sources claimed.

Chief Engineer AM Shamsul Hoq of WZPDC, when contacted, said that after the HC order, several reminders were given to the factory owners for payment of monthly current bills but they did not pay any heed to those.

On the other hand, the owners said they are not paying bills as the power supply authorities continued to give 'ghost bills' which are much more than actual consumption.

Advocate Abdul Mannan Talukder, an attorney of WZPDC, said the factory owners are defying the HC order. "We will move court soon in this regard".

Some sources claimed that the stalemate in the legal process is continuing because of an alleged nexus between the factory owners and a section of WZPDC officials and employees.

Sources in the WZPDC said they are preparing bills regularly and sending those to the factory owners.

The sources said the dispute arose as a section of the factory owners allegedly tempered power meters to show reduced consumption to pay less than actual consumption. The dispute turned serious when such tempering was detected at some of the factories and people there caught.

All the factories were then brought under one electric supply feeder by the PDB in 1996.

Sources in the Ice Factory Owner's Association denied any wrongdoing or violation of the High Court order. They claimed that power supply through a single feeder created difficulties in load sharing and that bills thus prepared are "not correct" as per PDB rules.

"They (WZPDC) are still giving ghost bills and we have given legal notice against this", said factory owner Hafizur Rahman. "We are ready to pay bills if prepared correctly", he added.