A swing in time

The change is more internal than external. It will be more of a systemic change. Daylight Saving Time (DST), that is.
With DST to be effective from the midnight of June 19, all the offices are bracing for a synchronised change in their internal systems from computer to other time-sensitive devices.
Bangladesh is set to add seven hours to GMT, falling in line with Bangkok time. People will have to set their clocks forward by one hour to get into the swing of things.
DST allows people to use less energy in lighting homes by taking advantage of the longer and later daylight hours in a country reeling from a huge power crunch.
“Its benefit is the difference between peak and off-peak hours so far as energy is concerned,” M Tamim, a former special assistant in charge of the energy ministry during the caretaker rule, told The Daily Star.
If somebody goes to bed at 11pm every day, he will still do so according to his clock. But in true sense, he is going to bed one hour early at 10pm, switching the lights off in his room.
Tamim said the DST plan is not meant to bring a big difference to the country’s energy situation, but many small things add up to a big change. “And I am in favour of this.”
A one-hour difference may ease the peak-hour load, however slightly it may be, but will not solve the off-peak hour problems. “People will be very happy if they see less frequent load-shedding in peak hours, but off-peak-hour power cuts will remain the same as before,” Tamim said.
DST may save 200MW to 300MW for an hour. But there are no official statistics to confirm the figures, and different researches may yield widely different stats, he said.
Power saved or not, different organisations in Bangladesh are synchronising their systems with DST. Airlines, banks and stock exchanges are also gearing for the change.
ASM Khairuzzaman, chief technology officer for Dhaka Stock Exchange, says: “We are almost set for the new system. All we have to do is synchronise the internal computer system. Trade will start at the same time as before — at 10am.”
But air travellers will see a clear one-hour change in flight schedules from June 20. Air tickets will be updated with new schedules. A Thai Airways flight to Bangkok on June 20 or later will take off at Zia International Airport at 2:10pm instead of earlier 1:10pm Dhaka time, an official of the airline said.
Shah Alam, general manager (planning) for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, told The Daily Star: “This isn’t a big issue for us. Airline officials are all used to Daylight Saving Time.”
“I don’t think passengers will miss flights. Rather they may arrive early at the airport.”
The passengers who had already bought tickets for travel on June 20 or later are likely to get confused as those tickets may not have altered schedules.
Software outsourcing and call centre business, on the other hand, will have to adjust their local office timings according to the country they work for.
“But adjustments in time will not hamper business,” said Habibullah N Karim, president of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS). He said service provides will compromise on timing, but in return, the government should ensure electricity.

Courtesy of The Daily Star