EPC Employees Demanding Money for Home Electricity in Sittwe Township

According to the residents of Sittwe Township in Rakhine State, they are being demanded money to cover the costs of rewiring the electricity lines that were damaged by the cyclone in order to restore power to their homes.

Although some wards in Sittwe Township have already regained electricity, several other wards are still without power. When residents visited the Electric Power Corporation (EPC) office to inquire about the electricity situation, some staff members demanded 50,000 kyats per house from them, according to residents.

A resident from Ywar Gyi (North) Ward, Sittwe Township, stated, "Some areas are getting electricity. On our side, the EPC is now telling people that they will get electricity if they pay 50,000 kyats per house."

Furthermore, residents have reported additional incidents of money demands for expedited electricity supply in Min Gan wards.

"In my perspective, the house that pays first should receive electricity first. In our situation, it's impossible to draw water from the well without electricity. We have to rely on electricity and a motor to bring water, which creates numerous difficulties. Hence, we are compelled to pay in order to obtain electricity," expressed an anonymous resident.

Currently, in the wards where electricity is still unavailable, residents are relying on homes equipped with generators to access electricity. In some areas, residents are required to pay 500 or 1,000 kyats to charge their phones and electric lights.

Daw Hla Win Tin, a resident of Block 11 in Min Gan Ward, expressed her desire to have electricity as soon as possible. She highlighted the additional expenses incurred due to the lack of electricity.

"It's quite challenging to cook without electricity. It costs a lot of money. Besides, I have additional costs for phone charging. The overall situation is unfavorable, but there are ongoing efforts to bring electricity to our area. But we are still uncertain about when it will reach us," she expressed.

In response to these concerns, an official from the Rakhine State Electrical Engineering Office informed Narinjara that they would need to ask the relevant district and township authorities.

"We have not been instructed to demand any money. However, there were incidents when people wanted electricity, they had to pay those who possessed knowledge about electricity in the vicinity. It becomes inconvenient to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. If the department sends their employees, we have to wait a bit longer," he explained.

Residents in Sittwe Township have expressed their criticism following reports that employees of the Electric Power Corporation (EPC) were charging fees ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 kyats per household for the connection of electricity cables and power grids to their homes.

In response to the situation, the township electricity office went around the town to make public announcements, reassuring residents that there was no need to pay any money for these services.

However, the issue persists as residents in Sittwe Township's wards without electricity continue to face demands of 10,000 to 15,000 kyats per household if they wish to have electricity supplied from the power grid.

Following the impact of cyclone Mocha, certain wards in Sittwe Township and Ponnagyun Township have started receiving electricity since June 7. Similarly, in the past few days, Kyauktaw Township has also been able to access electricity.

Similarly, on June 23, electricity was restored to some wards in Mrauk-U and Minbya townships. However, residents have expressed that despite the availability of electricity, they are still facing challenges in operating normally.

The Military Council has announced that they will work on restoring electricity in the townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Pauktaw, and Myebon in July.