According to the residents of Sittwe Township in RakhineState, they are being demanded money to cover the costs of rewiring theelectricity lines that were damaged by the cyclone in order to restore power totheir homes.

Although some wards in Sittwe Township have already regainedelectricity, several other wards are still without power. When residents visitedthe Electric Power Corporation (EPC) office to inquire about the electricitysituation, some staff members demanded 50,000 kyats per house from them,according to residents.

A resident from Ywar Gyi (North) Ward, Sittwe Township,stated, "Some areas are getting electricity. On our side, the EPC is nowtelling people that they will get electricity if they pay 50,000 kyats perhouse."

Furthermore, residents have reported additional incidents ofmoney demands for expedited electricity supply in Min Gan wards.

"In my perspective, the house that pays first shouldreceive electricity first. In our situation, it's impossible to draw water fromthe well without electricity. We have to rely on electricity and a motor tobring water, which creates numerous difficulties. Hence, we are compelled topay in order to obtain electricity," expressed an anonymous resident.

Currently, in the wards where electricity is stillunavailable, residents are relying on homes equipped with generators to accesselectricity. In some areas, residents are required to pay 500 or 1,000 kyats tocharge their phones and electric lights.

Daw Hla Win Tin, a resident of Block 11 in Min Gan Ward,expressed her desire to have electricity as soon as possible. She highlightedthe additional expenses incurred due to the lack of electricity.

"It's quite challenging to cook without electricity. Itcosts a lot of money. Besides, I have additional costs for phone charging. Theoverall situation is unfavorable, but there are ongoing efforts to bringelectricity to our area. But we are still uncertain about when it will reachus," she expressed.

In response to these concerns, an official from the RakhineState Electrical Engineering Office informed Narinjara that they would need toask the relevant district and township authorities.

"We have not been instructed to demand any money.However, there were incidents when people wanted electricity, they had to paythose who possessed knowledge about electricity in the vicinity. It becomesinconvenient to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. If the department sendstheir employees, we have to wait a bit longer," he explained.

Residents in Sittwe Township have expressed their criticismfollowing reports that employees of the Electric Power Corporation (EPC) werecharging fees ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 kyats per household for theconnection of electricity cables and power grids to their homes.

In response to the situation, the township electricityoffice went around the town to make public announcements, reassuring residentsthat there was no need to pay any money for these services.

However, the issue persists as residents in SittweTownship's wards without electricity continue to face demands of 10,000 to15,000 kyats per household if they wish to have electricity supplied from thepower grid.

Following the impact of cyclone Mocha, certain wards inSittwe Township and Ponnagyun Township have started receiving electricity sinceJune 7. Similarly, in the past few days, Kyauktaw Township has also been ableto access electricity.

Similarly, on June 23, electricity was restored to somewards in Mrauk-U and Minbya townships. However, residents have expressed thatdespite the availability of electricity, they are still facing challenges inoperating normally.

The Military Council has announced that they will work onrestoring electricity in the townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung,Pauktaw, and Myebon in July.