Countrywide agitation: 200mw power diverted from Dhaka to meet demand

Sufferings of city dwellers would mount next days as the government decided to cut 200MW of electricity from Dhaka and its adjoining areas to divert it for Boro irrigation.
The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting yesterday to ensure 10-hour uninterrupted electricity supply instead of seven hours to make sure boro production.
Presided over by Power Division Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, the meeting was attended by senior officials of the Ministry of Agriculture and Power Division.
The decision came at a time when farmers across the country brought out procession, form human chain and even attacked Palli Biddut offices in several places with the demand for ensuring electricity supply for irrigation.
The meeting also decided to cut electricity supply in other mega cities like Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna for Boro cultivation. Power Development Board (PDB) Member Md Jamal Ullah yesterday told The New Nation, “PDB has no other alternative to cut electricity in mega cities like Dhaka, Chittagong, Rajshahi and Khulna to ensure electricity for Boro irrigation.”
“For this, we decided to cut 200MW electricity from Dhaka city and a portion of allocation from other three mega cities for irrigation,” he added.
The power division also decided to supply 10-hour long uninterrupted electricity for Boro irrigation, he informed.
Responding a query, he said that the government has no other alternative to prioritise irrigation even severe load shedding.
The Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources has already decided to supply additional gas to power plants diverting it from fertiliser factories.
However, the government has also directed the deputy commissioners in 64 districts to ensure security of the power plants across the country.
Lengthy electricity cuts, sometimes 12 to 16 hours daily, have been severely affecting normal life of the people.
Due to electricity crisis, the Dhaka water supply and sewerage authority (WASA) could not able to lift water and farmers country-wide could not irrigate their Boro lands properly. Residents of city Badda area yesterday blocked road for an hour to ensure water supply.
Due to frequent electricity cut, buses and cars were seen stands in a long queue at city’s CNG stations to fill gas. Besides, residents were passing their whole night with utter sufferings due to electricity crisis in addition with excessive hot.
There was nearly 2,200MW of load-shedding daily during the last couple of days against the demand of 6,000MW.
Awami League General Secretary and LGED and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Huq last month wrote a letter to State Minister for Power and Energy Brig Gen (Retd) Enamul Huq saying that Kishoreganj district received 22MW of electricity against the demand of 38MW. “So, farmers of this district could not able to irrigate their Boro lands properly,” he said, requesting to supply additional 10MW of electricity from load disperse centre.
In another letter to Enamul Huq, Sagupta Yesmin, MP said that Lahaganj and Tangibari of Munshiganj district have been getting 30MW of electricity against the demand of 70MW. “Due to frequent electricity cut, preservation of potato at cold storage disrupted seriously,” she alleged.
Power Development Board (PDB) Chairman ASM Alamgir Kabir several times told The New Nation that poor gas supply to power plants was the main reason for the present electricity crisis. PDB will require 900mmcfd gas to run its gas-fired power plants in full swing, he said.
In Dhaka Division, the residents have been experiencing 12-hour power cut in a day while those in other five divisions remain deprived of electricity for 12-hour to 16-hour a day.
DESCO Managing Director Eng. Saleh Ahmed said that the DESCO supplied only 313MW electricity against the demand of 580MW to its 4.12 lakh consumers.
“DESCO attributed load-shedding for every alternative hour due to short supply of electricity,” he said.
However, the residents under DPDC have been experiencing 12-hour power cut in a day.
“We have supplied only 600MW electricity against the demand of 1,100MW,” DPDC Director SM Farid Uddin told The New Nation.
Residents under the Rural Electrification Board (REB) are now getting 1,500MW electricity against the demand of 2,118MW in peak hours, REB Chief Eng Md Shahbuddin told The New Nation.
“But we have been supplying adequate electricity for irrigation from 11 PM to 5 in the morning,” he said.
Farmers at Cox’s Bazar ransacked and smashed several rooms of local Palli Biddult office while farmers at Thakurgaon formed human chain demanding adequate supply of electricity. Besides, agitated locals at Sirajgonj snapped national grid line due to non-stop power cut on Monday last.
A senior official of the Dhaka water supply and sewerage authority told The New Nation that they have supplied 190 crore litres of water daily against the demand of 220 crore litres.
“A total of 546 electricity fired pumps have been engaged for lifting water to meet the huge demands,” he said adding, “But these could not work properly due to frequent power cut.”

Courtesy of The New Nation