Dhaka, May 20 -- Bangladesh's energy regulator and consumer rights campaigners locked horns at a heated public hearing over a proposed hike in bulk electricity prices, laying bare the growing strain between rising state subsidies and the deepening pressure on consumers.

At the hearing organised by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh, BERC officials defended the proposed hike, citing the government's soaring financial burden.

Rights group Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), however, warned that ordinary people were already struggling to survive under the economic pressure.

"Everyone is only thinking about government profits, but nobody cares that people will die under this burden...