Kaline residents face hardship due to electricity bill collection amid power outages

In Kalay, Sagaing Region, the military junta is forcing residents to pay outstanding electricity bills, despite power outages lasting over two years, with electricity department staff stating that meter boxes will be removed if payments are not made, according to Kalay residents. The outstanding electricity bills that were not paid after the military coup are now being collected, and the removal of meter boxes has begun for houses that cannot pay, residents said. "The power has been out for years. The previous arrears were calculated as they wished, and the meter boxes were bought with our own money, so they have no right to confiscate them," a Kalay resident told Mizzima. According to residents, the 66 kV power line supplying electricity to the southern part of Kalay city was damaged during an airstrike by the military junta more than two years ago, after which the city's electricity supply was cut off. Currently, residents are relying on solar panels and generators, and they say they cannot accept the collection of electricity bills for the period they did not receive electricity services. Most households in Kalay city have outstanding electricity bills, and some have to pay tens of lakhs of kyats, exacerbating the difficulties for the lower-income class, residents said. Another resident said that they had an outstanding electricity bill of 1 million kyats and were asked to pay half, 500,000 kyats, first, but their meter box was removed because they could not pay. "In Aung Myay Man ward, the meter box was removed because they said they couldn't pay the electricity bill. They are demanding arrears even though there is no electricity. They said they would remove the meter boxes of the rest if they couldn't pay," he said. Residents said that the military junta and its subordinate staff, who were unable to collect electricity bills during the period when revolutionary forces were active, have accelerated the collection of outstanding electricity bills after regaining control of the township.