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No complaints since ending electricity subsidies for some users: Ministry
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A worker of state-owned electricity company PLN checks the voltage at a house that receives subsidized electricity in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry claims that no one has reported foul play since the government decided to cut the number of subscribers to subsidized 900-watt electricity.
Nobody had complained about being removed from the list of recipients eligible for subsidized electricity since the ministry set up a complaints post earlier this month, the ministry’s electricity director general, Jarman, said in Jakarta on Monday.
“We have not received any complaints so far. This post is open for 24 hours a day, and we are ready [to receive complaints],” he told reporters.
The post, located on the fourth floor of the electricity directorate general building in South Jakarta, was established in order to record complaints from people who feel they have been unfairly removed from the list. This is to ensure that those in need continue to receive subsidized electricity, as stipulated in the Energy Law.
There are also posts in each village and regency that will forward complaints to the electricity directorate general.
Starting this month, state-owned electricity firm PLN has begun to gradually increase electricity tariffs for 18.7 million customers the government deems ineligible for subsidized power, based on their financial status.
The government-subsidized 900-watt electricity was initially intended for poor households only. However, it was recently discovered that the number of subscribers had ballooned to 22.8 million, 18.7 million of whom are thought to be quite capable of subscribing to higher-priced electricity. (bbn)
