Keeping in mind the people’s want for smooth power supply, Bangladesh Rural Electricfication Board (BREB) has formed special teams for its each Palli Bidyut Samity to ensure unintruppted electrcity supply in rural areas during the coronavirus crisis. The team named ‘Durjoge Alor Guerrilla’ (disaster light guerrilla) comprised local residents will ensure electricity suipply in any crisis situation, BREB official said.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Minerel Resources Nasrul Hamid said “REB is our largest power distribution organisation. Earlier, Palli Bidyut Samity has ensured electricity connection from house to house formed by ‘Alor Feriwala’. They have formed special team named ‘Durjoge Alor Guerrilla’ aimed at working with patriotism during the current crisis.”
“The time is now against us. Everything is closed across the country. Even then, every member of power division is working risking his life. Our goal is to ensure uninterrupted supply of electricity in any circumstances,” he added.
BREB said supply of electrcity remains beset with various problems during the period from April to July. At this time, the temperature is high. Apart from this, the holy Ramadan will begin from next 24 or 25 April. It comes as a big challenge to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply during Seheri, Iftar and Tarabi. The guerrilla forces would play an important role to maintain uninterrupted power supply.
BREB chairmen Major General Moin Uddin (Retd) told The Bangladesh Post that “Earlier, we had been providing electrcity to our users in conventional system. But, now many areas are under lockdown due to coronavirus. Ordinary people and also our employees are in the grip of panic. Movement to different places has become difficult. On the other hand the electrcity demand of people is increasing in summer. If we can not supply electrcity properly during this disaster period then the sufferings of the people will increase manifold.”
“Here, we have the highest priority of health safety for our employees. We formed more special teams in each samity divided into several small groups. We have already delivered necessary eqiupment for one month there, so that there will be no distruption in work. Our employees and workers in one area will not move to another. If there is a problem with the power supply, they will solve the problem in a guerrilla style very quickly,” he continued.
Moin Uddin further said “When we receive a customer’s complaint, two of our employees are rushing there quickly. They are being accompanied by local technicians, day laborers or trained staffs of our contractors. They are being provided daily wages as well as food. Each team will work for 12 hours a day. We will continue to work on nurturing this core principle and patriotism. We will keep rural electricity supply running."
In this regard, the BREB Chairmen has recently sent a letter to each Samity. The letter instructed everyone to work in a guerrilla style to solve eletrcity disruption during the coronavirus disaster.
It also said students including high school learners and most of the people are staying at home due to the government's general leave to prevent transmission of coronavirus and the ban on movement right now. In this situation, unintruppted electricity supply will have to be ensured for medical care to those affected by coronavirus, to keep the people in isolation and quarantine comfortable, to carry out irrigation activities to ensure food security of the country, to educate the students and to facilitate food for daily workers on summer days.
BREB is supplying electrcity to 2 lakh 85 thousand users or more than 12 crore people with resolving customers’ complaints through its 80 Palli Bidyut Samity, 276 zonal offices, 142 sub-zonal offices, 110 area offices, and 1016 complaint centers.
The letter also states that the headquarters of the Samity, zonal office, sub-zonal office, area office and complaint center will have the number of guerrilla units required for each other. One or more of them will always be on duty and others will be ready to join the work within 15 minutes of instruction.
A 12-point directives has been issued to manage the guerrillas of light in disaster. As per the directive, general managers should work in coordination with the local administrations. Besides daytime, the guerrilla team must work at night. The Samity will arrange seheri and iftar for light guerrillas.
