The State Electricity Company (STELCO) has decided to offer a further discount on electricity bills after pressure mounted on the government amid growing complaints about the policy on reducing water and electricity charges for Ramadan.
The government has decided to discount electricity used during Ramadan and bills sent to customers will be sent again with revisions in line with the change, STELCO Managing Director Hussain Fahmy said in a post on X.
However, the decision was made after some customers already paid their bills. Fahmy said on Saturday that their next bill will be adjusted to reflect the discount.
“It has been arranged to deduct he difference in the amount in the bills paid before the discount was included from next month’s bill,” Fahmy tweeted.
The unpaid bills that STELCO has withdrawn will be revised and sent by Saturday night, he said, noting that the discount would cover the Ramadan period.
Fahmy previously defended how the pledged discount was provided for the electricity bills.
Speaking at a press conference held at the President’s Office last week in response to complaints about the utility discounts, Fahmy said the previous discount covered most days of Ramadan.
The STELCO MD said the discount provided by the company was worth MVR 20 million.
The government’s utility discount policy drew criticism from the public as many people complained that the bills were high despite the discount and that the discount period did not include Ramadan.
The state-owned utility companies previously said discounts were provided for bills sent during Ramadan but not for water and electricity used during the month. The decision had been made after discussions with the President’s Office. However, after facing public criticism, the government decided to provide a discount for water and electricity used during Ramadan.
On Saturday night, the Male' Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) said the company has decided to ensure that the water bill for April would not be higher than the bill for March, which had been sent with the Ramadan discount.
If the bill for April is higher than the discounted bill for March, the extra amount will be deducted as a discount, MWSC said. If the amount is less than 10 percent of the bill, the discount will be raised to 10 percent of the bill, the company said.
"Even if the bill for April 2024 is lower than the bill for March, a discount of 10 percent will be provided from the bill for April," MWSC said.
The 10 percent discount will also be provided for new customers whose first bill would be the one for April, the company said.
The decision came after MWSC sent bills for April without the discount. Information about revisions to the bill to incorporate the discount or to credit the discount to customers will be shared via text message, the company said.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Heena Waleed, the government's spokesperson, said the President has instructed the utility companies to provide the discount in April's bill "as it has been noted that relief had not been given as pledged by President Muizzu."
Campaigning for the parliamentary elections ahead of Ramadan, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu pledged to cap utility bills in order to alleviate the burden on the public.
"Water and electricity bills get very high in Ramadan. That's how it happens naturally. It's something that causes a big burden. That won't happen this time. Water and electricity bills in Ramadan will be capped at the rate of a normal month, meaning it won't go higher than that," the President said on March 4 in Baa Eydhafushi.
