My bill is wrong / too high. Where do I complain?

Start with your distributor's hotline or customer-service centre and ask for a re-check. Distributors are expected to adjust a clearly inflated bill within about 7 days. If it is not resolved, escalate in writing to the Grievance Redress Officer, then the Appellate Officer, then the National Grievance Redress System (grs.gov.bd), and finally the regulator BERC.

What number do I call in an electrical emergency?

For fire, electrocution or a downed live wire, call 999 (national emergency) first. Then report the fault to your distributor on 16999 or its own hotline so the line can be isolated.

Are these numbers free?

The 16xxx short codes are standard-rate calls from any Bangladeshi mobile or landline. 999 is free.

DESCO, DPDC, BPDB & Palli Bidyut Helpline Numbers (16120, 16899)

16999

Unified power call centre

999

Emergency (fire / electrocution)

333

Govt info helpline

One number

16999 — which digit reaches which company

For a power cut, a wrong bill or a meter problem, call 16999. After connecting, press the digit below to reach your distributor's complaint cell directly.

Press	Distributor	Own hotline
1	BPDB — Bangladesh Power Development Board	16200
2	BREB — Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board	16899
3	DESCO — Dhaka Electricity Supply Company	16120
4	DPDC — Dhaka Power Distribution Company	16116
5	NESCO — Northern Electricity Supply Company	16603
6	WZPDCL — West Zone Power Distribution Company	16999

Each company

Each distributor's own hotline

DPDC16116

Central and southern Dhaka city, plus Narayanganj — the older, denser parts of the capital.

complian@dpdc.org.bd

DESCO16120

Northern Dhaka — Mirpur, Pallabi, Kafrul, Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Uttara, Tongi and the cantonment areas.

info@desco.gov.bd

BPDB16200

Urban areas of the Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions and other towns outside the metro and west-zone distributors. BPDB also runs most national generation.

BREB16899

Rural areas of every district in Bangladesh, supplied through ~80 local Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS). If you live in a village or small town, this is almost certainly your distributor.

NESCO16603

Urban areas of the 16 districts of the Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions (the north-west), excluding rural Palli Bidyut areas.

complain@nesco.gov.bd

WZPDCL16999

Urban areas of the Khulna and Barishal divisions plus greater Faridpur — 21 districts in the south-west.

Source: Power Division & company sites:powerdivision.gov.bd

Escalation

If a complaint isn't resolved — the ladder

Every distributor has a tiered grievance system. Keep the date and reference number at each step — you'll need them at the next one.

Hotline / customer-service centre

Call the distributor's hotline or visit the local office. For a billing problem, ask for a re-check — a clearly inflated bill should normally be adjusted within about 7 days.

Grievance Redress Officer (GRO)

If unresolved, file a written complaint with the NOCS / zonal office's Grievance Redress Officer (per the Citizen's Charter).

Appellate Officer

Not satisfied with the GRO? Escalate to the company's Appellate Officer.

National Grievance Redress System (GRS)

Still stuck? File on the government's national grievance portal: grs.gov.bd

The regulator — BERC

Final tier — the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, which handles consumer complaints under its 2017 regulations. Consumer-complaint cell: +8802-5511030308, chair.berc.bd@gmail.com · berc.org.bd

Frequently asked questions

Dial 16999, the unified power-sector call centre. After connecting, press the digit for your distributor (1 = BPDB, 2 = BREB, 3 = DESCO, 4 = DPDC, 5 = NESCO, 6 = WZPDCL). You can also call your distributor's own hotline directly.

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Electricity hotlines & how to complain