Staff Reporter
The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources decided to beef up security around the country’s 35 power plants to head off any untoward situation in view of growing public resentment due to erratic and inadequate power supply in recent times.
“We have urged the law enforcing agencies to ensure special measure for the security of power plants considering the overall law and order situation in the country,State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Shamsul Hoq Tuku told reporters at his secretariat office yesterday.
The Ministry has decided to deploy the law enforcing agencies to protect the power plants following the request from deputy commissioners of several districts as people of the country have of late been facing frequent electricity cut, sources in the Power Division said.
The Power Ministry has also decided to review the electricity supply position every day at the ministry’s office.
Shamsul Hoq further said that 714MW of electricity would be added to the national grid between July and August and hoped that it would reduce power crisis.
Besides, the government’s short, mid and long-term plans in power sector would help ensure electricity for all by 2020, he added.
He pointed out that the past BNP led government took no tangible measure to augment power supply. Instead the past government squandered a hefty sum of Tk 1,000 crore on the plea of increasing power supply.
Replying to a question the state minister said PDB has been asked to ensure electricity for Boro irrigation.
The government is also thinking of asking the shopping malls to stop business activities from 7:00pm instead of 8:00pm to save power, he further said.
Adviser to the Prime Minister for Power Energy and Mineral Resources Dr Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury told the reporters the ministry in an intra ministerial meeting yesterday decided to sit everyday to review country’s electricity situation.
He said the ministry would has also intensified its monitoring of power supply across the country.
Courtesy of http://nation.ittefaq.com
