Heratis accuse DABS of over-billing

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): A number of residents and provincial council members have accused Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) office in western Herat province of taking extra money from customers.

DABS, the power distribution authority, has more than 252,000 customers in Herat province and it collects above 6.3 million afghanis in what residents say ‘extra money’ in the name of bank commission and stationary costs.

Abdul Hakim, a shopkeeper in Herat City, the provincial capital, told Pajhwok Afghan News that printing an electricity bill cost 0.5 afghani, but DABS charged each client 10 afghanis for that.

DABS charges a consumer 10 afghanis for power bill printing and 15 afghanis for bank commission once in two months.

Amad Marwa, another resident of Herat City, said, “If one thinks 10 afs is not a big amount, but it becomes bigger when it is collected from all customers. The government always robs people under different pretexts.”

Herat residents also criticized their representatives over remaining silence about their rights.

A number of provincial council members termed the printing charge as extortion and accused DABS of corruption.

The public representatives were of the view that printing bills and paying bank commission was responsibility of the power utility, therefore people should not be charged for that.

Provincial council’s deputy head, Toryali Taheri, said: “There are around 300,000 to 400,000 electricity consumers in Herat, if each customer is charged 25 afghanis in each period, it is a large amount of money.”

“Stationary does not relate to people, it is DABS to pay the price for its stationary printing,” he said.

Experts also expressed concern about charging extra money on the public and stressed its prevention.

Ahmad Shafiq Bahrozian, an expert in Herat said, “Charging extra money under stationary and bank commission cause people to lose trust in the government.”

Meanwhile, the governor’s spokesman, Jilani Farhad, said the power utility had been asked to provide information about the extra charges.

But Wahid Kamrani, DABS head for Herat, said 25 afghanis per bill charge and bank commission was part of the contracts of the power utility.

mds/ma