Villagers in Mon State are being deprived of power supply despite spending money following applications for electricity connections.

Villagers in Hnee-padaw and Kwan-hlar village in Mudon Township paid about 0.6 million Kyat per house and have to pay the cost of installing the electric line.

"We applied for electricity supply over a year ago. The authorities told us that we will get it on February 2008, but we have not received it yet," said a Hnee-padaw villager.

The money was collected from villagers before the application for a recommendation by the Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC). They were supposed to wait about two months.

"We had to pay about 5 million Kyat to the VPDC for the recommendation before applying. Despite the payment the VPDC did not arrange for electricity supply. The money collected was meant to be a bribe," said a villager who applied in Hnee-padaw.

About 1,000 out of 1,500 households in Hnee-padaw village applied for electric connection. The remaining households also wanted to apply, but they are apprehensive that even after paying they would not get a connection.

Not only Hnee-padaw village but Kwan-hlar also paid about 2 million Kyat to Naypyidaw after shelling out 0.6 million Kyat for an electric box, according to a Kwan-hlar villager.

"Sein-taung village in Mudon Township got electric boxes which cost over 0.8 million Kyat per house for electricity supply. But they got power for about 1 or 2 hours for two days," said the villager.

While the wait continues some private business firms are using fuel engines to distribute electricity among villagers. Villagers also have to pay on a weekly or monthly basis.

A Mon monk in Moulmein said "Residents in the city cannot get enough electricity leave alone distribute it among villages." Moulmein also gets irregular power supply.

The residents also have to pay for repairing transformers when it is damaged or broken.