Outrage over allegations of violence and harassment by a gang of brokers at Shimultala Rural Electricity Office

General customers have suffered greatly due to violence by a gang of brokers at the Shimultala Zonal Rural Electricity Office in Savar. They are constantly being harassed while seeking various services including electricity connection and meter installation.

It has been seen on the spot that brokers have free movement almost everywhere in the office, from the one-point service to the junior engineer and inspector's rooms. Their presence has even been noticed in the rooms of the concerned officials, which has angered customers who have come to avail services.

Upon going to the junior engineer's room, it was seen that a person named Al Amin was sitting comfortably and working. Although he initially introduced himself as an official, he later said that he worked as a 'consultant'. According to office sources, he is not a government official; however, he is involved in various activities with the junior engineer. There are allegations that he takes extra money from customers and does various works and is also involved in irregularities in the preparation of stacking sheets.

On the other hand, a registered electrician named Saidul Islam is seen in the inspector's room, who is working closely with the inspector. It is alleged that he exerts influence during inspections and in many cases, connection approval depends on his opinion. The victims claim that he even plays a role in the cancellation of applications.

In addition, serious allegations have been made against registered electricians. They are extorting money from customers in the name of providing wiring reports. Although the report is supposed to be submitted after completing the work as per the rules, in reality, in many cases, there are allegations that only the report is sold without doing the work.

An aggrieved customer expressed his anger and said, "We are being forced to take reports from certain electricians. Who will take responsibility if any accident occurs?" He also said that customers are at risk due to the lack of opportunity to get work done by skilled engineers.

The statement of the Deputy General Manager of Shimultala Zonal Office was not available in this regard.

Meanwhile, customers demand urgent intervention from the concerned authorities to stop this irregularity of the brokers' circle. Otherwise, they fear that the suffering in the name of service will increase further.