Local residents from earthquake-affected areas in Sagaing Region report that the military council is forcefully collecting electricity bills despite the devastating impact of recent earthquakes. According to local sources, the military council is pressuring residents to pay their electricity bills even though many are struggling with destroyed homes and livelihood difficulties in the aftermath of the earthquake. Under the military council’s directives, residents whose homes were not damaged must pay their March electricity bills by the due date specified on their bills.
For residents whose homes were damaged, they are required to pay electricity bills for both March and April starting from May 1st, calculated based on their previous usage units. The military council has instructed that if electricity meters were damaged and became unreadable due to the earthquake, residents must report to their respective electricity managers. Ward administrators appointed by the military council are also going around neighborhoods forcing residents to pay their electricity bills, according to local residents.
Local residents have criticized the military council’s actions, pointing out that forcefully collecting electricity bills from people who have lost their homes and are living in temporary shelters, and from families facing severe economic hardships, represents another form of oppression by the military council against civilians. Residents condemn the military council for prioritizing bill collection over providing necessary assistance to earthquake victims. The military-appointed administrators’ aggressive approach to collecting payments while people are still dealing with earthquake aftermath has sparked particular outrage among local communities who are already struggling to rebuild their lives.
