Local people in different areas in the Sylhet city went out on demonstrations and blocked highway in protest at serious power disruption.
Eyewitnesses said residents of Shibganj, that includes Sadipur, Senpara, Lakripara and Senpara, staged demonstrations at about 9:30pm, demanding immediate resumption of power supply to the area.
The agitated people blocked the Sylhet-Tamabil Highway at Shibganj in the city for about one and a half hours from 9:30pm to 11:00pm and brunt used tyres on the highway.
The commuters faced unbearable traffic congestion as hundreds of vehicles at both sides of the Sylhet-Tamabil Highway remained stranded because of the barricade, the sources said.
Informed, a team of RAB-9 reached the spot and persuaded the agitated residents to withdraw the barricade at about 11:00pm after assuring them of regular power supply to the area by Friday morning, RAB sources said.
Power supply to Shibganj remained suspended since Wednesday as the electric transformer of Shibganj Bazar went out of order, local sources said.
Sources in the Power Development Board’s Upa-Shahar sub-station told New Age Friday afternoon that they were working to repair the transformer at Shibganj Bazar and the power supply to the area would resume within 6:00pm.
Meanwhile, several hundred residents of Khasdabir, Syed Mugni, Pir Mahalla, Goaipara, Badam Bagicha and Lichu Bagan in the city brought out a procession in the area at about 8:00pm on Thursday, demanding immediate resumption of power supply, locals and the police said.
Being informed, a team of Kotwali police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control assuring the agitated residents of regular power supply by the morning.
Power supply to that area also remained suspended since Wednesday as the electric transformer became inoperative, local sources said.
Shahed Ahmad, a resident of the city’s Lichu Bagan, claimed that the local power development board authorities had repaired the transformer in the area only a month ago during Ramadan.
But, the transformer went out of order again on Wednesday. We have been forced to take to the streets as the PDB officials did not take any initiative to resume the power supply till Thursday night,’ Shahed said.
An official in the Sylhet PDB’s Ambarkhana sub-station told New Age Friday afternoon that they were repairing the transformer at Lichu Bagan.
‘We are working now and hopefully we would be ale to resume the power supply to the area by 9:00pm on Friday,’ he added.
