In Syedpur of Nilphamari, unpaid electricity bills in 24 Bihari camps have reached Tk 66 crore as of February 2026, creating a prolonged dispute over who should bear the cost. Despite repeated letters from the local electricity office to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, no resolution has been reached. The ministry has stated it will only pay bills up to 2016, arguing that camp residents are now Bangladeshi citizens and must pay their own bills.

Field visits revealed that while each camp has a government-installed meter, many residents also use direct connections from nearby poles without meters. The camps consume about Tk 50 lakh worth of electricity monthly. Officials warn that continuous power use is maintained to prevent fire hazards from illegal connections.

Local leaders and rights activists attribute the crisis to poor planning and lack of formal integration of the camps into the city structure. They say the government is losing revenue while residents face safety risks. Camp representatives have called for dignified rehabilitation to resolve the issue permanently.