Tangail Correspondent
A severe power crisis and prolonged load-shedding have disrupted daily life and economic activities across Tangail district.
The district's total electricity demand is around 370 megawatts, against a supply of only 223 megawatts. The huge shortfall has resulted in repeated load-shedding throughout the day and night.
According to authorities, the Power Development Board (PDB) has a demand of around 170 megawatts against a supply of 110 megawatts, while the Rural Electrification Board's network requires 200 megawatts but receives only 113 megawatts. As a result, different areas face power cuts every one or two hours within a 24-hour period.
Children and elderly people are suffering amid the intense heat, while prolonged outages at night are disrupting sleep. Water supply, studies and other daily activities are also being affected.
The crisis has hit mills, industries and factories particularly hard. Frequent outages are disrupting production, forcing many large establishments to use diesel generators and bear higher fuel costs. Small and medium-sized businesses, unable to afford generators, are facing losses.
Tangail's traditional handloom industry has also been badly affected. Workers are forced to stop operating looms during outages, reducing production and causing financial losses as businesses struggle to meet orders.
Poultry farms are facing similar difficulties. The inability to run fans and other equipment in the intense heat is causing chickens to die, while small farmers are struggling with the additional cost of running generators.
ATMA Lungi Fabrics Industries Managing Director Dilip Kumar said production comes to a halt whenever electricity is unavailable, causing losses. “There is no electricity for 5-6 hours a day. The government should take steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply quickly,” he said.
Tangail Palli Bidyut Samity General Manager Md Sanowar Hossain said demand under the Palli Bidyut network was 200 megawatts against a supply of 113 megawatts. Load-shedding was being imposed because of the shortage, while efforts were under way to bring the situation under control.
Tangail PDB Executive Engineer Obaidul Islam said temporary load-shedding was necessary because the district was receiving less power from the national grid than its demand. Efforts were being made to restore normal supply, he said.
