No power crisis by 2011, PM tells JS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the country would get rid of power crisis by 2011 as 1,487MW of power will be generated and added to the national grid by then.

"Bangladesh will be self-sufficient in power by 2021 and 100 percent people of the country will get electricity facility according to the government's vision," Hasina said while replying to lawmakers' queries in parliament.

She also told the House that over 50,000 flats would be built in the capital and over 17,000 others across the country to address accommodation problem.

Hasina said as per her government's current plan 667MW of additional power would be fed to the national grid by 2009 and another 820MW through picking power plants by 2011.

She said the government has already floated tender for setting up of the picking power plants considering shortage of gas.

Processes are also underway to generate 900MW of power by 2012 and 1,895MW by 2014, she added.

Requests for proposal have been invited for setting up rental power plants in private sector in the first phase to generate 530MW of power by August 2010, she said, adding, "A process is underway to set up another rental power plant with the capacity of generating extra 970MW of power."

Hasina also spoke about the feasibility study for setting up coal-based power plants in Chittagong, Khulna, Shariatpur and Meghnaghat by 2014 with a capacity of generating 2,000-2,600MW.

The government has taken up plans to set up wind power units and solar power plants to generate 280MW of power by 2013, she added.

NEW FLATS
Hasina said a total of 52,512 flats would be built in the capital in the next five years to resolve accommodation problems. Besides, the national housing authority will construct 17,677 more flats across the country in the same period.

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha has planned to build 600-square-feet and 1,000-square-feet flats in the city for low- and mid-income group people, Hasina said while replying to lawmakers' queries.

She said the Prime Minister's Office and the land ministry have taken up separate projects to address the accommodation problems of landless and homeless people.

In response to a query on employment generation, the premier said her government has taken steps to generate employment for the young generation. "Unemployment rate will be reduced to 15 percent from the existing 40 percent by 2021," she said.

Hasina described various steps including setting up of training centres, technical centres, and institutes of marine technology to generate employment.

She also informed the House that several countries including some in the Middle East have shown interest to employ a large number of Bangladeshi workers.