Sylhet divn gets half of power needed

Three months on, there is no sigh of improvement of the situation in near future, Power Development Board (PDB) sources say.

Small industries and students in urban areas and farmers in rural areas who depend on power for irrigation are the worst sufferers.

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Transmission of programmes from Bangladesh Betar's Sylhet centre is also being disrupted due to lengthy load shedding.

The power supply disruption triggered demonstrations also by farmers at different upazilas in the division.

A PDB high official while talking to The Daily Star yesterday said the demand for power in the four districts of Sylhet division is 170 to 180 Megawatt during peak hours from 5 pm to 11 pm.

"We are virtually getting 50 per cent of the peak hour demand since March", he said seeking anonymity.

"We have no alternative to keeping power supply suspended for hours in areas".

Besides, disruptions are also caused at times due to faults in supply lines because of heavy pressure, he admitted. He however claimed that complaints from consumers have decreased following the recent renovation of lines in Sylhet city.

"We have nothing to do till supply from the national grid is raised, which is not expected soon", he said.

Taking advantage of frequent blackout, petty crimes like theft and mugging have increased in the city, a number of city dwellers alleged.

People in city suburbs like Khadimnagar, Tukerbazar Salutikor, Lalabazar, Srirampur, Kuchai, Hetimganj are the worst suffers, many in the areas said. They have to go without power for four to five hours a day, they said.

When contacted, the Chief Engineer of Sylhet PDB said power distribution is controlled by the central load dispatch centre. There is nothing to do locally.

The crisis is countrywide and will continue and till power generation increases, he said.