The government has decided to deploy mobile courts, if necessary, to enforce market closure after 8:00pm in a day or two to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the Higher Secondary Certificate examination schedule to begin on April 5.
The decision was made at an inter-ministerial meeting, presided over by the state minister of power, energy and mineral resources, Mohammad Enamul Huq, at the power division on Wednesday.
High officials of power, energy, agriculture and railway divisions attended the meeting.
In reply to the power secretary, officials of power distribution agencies said most of the markets and shopping malls were not closing by 8:00pm.
They said that the businessmen might have thought that the decision was made only for 2010.
The minister asked the agencies concerned to take necessary steps to ensure market closure by 8:00pm.
He instructed power distribution agencies to put in advertisements in newspapers and on the electronic media urging the businessmen to shut their shops and markets by 8:00pm. He also ordered mobile court drive to enforce the early closing.
In the meeting, the regional chief engineers of the Power Development Board reported that irrigation had improved after March 22 as the average power generation increased with a fall in power demand because of some early rain.
In addition, the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation is supplying 30 per cent additional diesel for irrigation this year, Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation director Mozammel Huq said.
The power secretary expressed his dissatisfaction as the power distribution agencies failed to give the figure of new connections given for irrigation.
He asked the agencies concerned to submit a report specifying the figure of power connections for irrigation.
Courtesy of New Age
