'Power to all villages by 2020 a dream'

"It will remain a mere political slogan", a high official of Kurigram-Lalmonirhat Polli Biddut

Somiti (KLPBS) told this correspondent seeking anonymity.

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"Only 23.1 percent of the targeted villages in 71 unions under KLPBS command area could be brought under power supply in the last eight years.

"Some special steps for increasing generation should be taken right now to bring the rest two-thirds area under power supply", he said.

"The Rural Electrification Board (REB) here has the required manpower and equipment to bring all the targeted villages under electricity network in next four years if power is supplied", the official said.

Other sources at KLPBS office said they have piles of applications from farmers, poultry, dairy and fish farmers and from prospective investors in agro-based industries for power supply.

"We have to face a tough time during IRRI-Boro season when farmers want power supply. There were demonstrations for power supply in several areas in the past few years", one official said.

They demand electricity supply because their expenditure increases three times if they run their power pumps with fuel, they said.

KLPBS activities for expanding the network to more villages in the two districts have slowed down due to shortage of electricity.

During the time of irrigation from September to December every year, KLPBS subscribers face "intolerable load shedding", at times several days together without electricity.

Asked why more supply lines are not drawn with the available logistics, the officials said without additional power generation this would mean woes for subscribers.

A member of the Board of Directors of KLPBS said the government's commitment to ensure electricity in all villages in Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts was "merely a political slogan".

"The government would not be able to achieve this in next 30 years unless several new power plants are set up in the country".

The KLPBS was inaugurated at Trimohoni in 1996 to provide electricity to 1,865 villages in 78 unions in the two districts by 2020.

Since its inception, it brought only 508 villages under power supply.

KLPBS supplies electricity to only 925 husking mills now. Over 3000 applications for setting up husking mills, 20 for fish hatchery and 97 for poultry farms are pending for about four years, they said.