Power shortage

Photo: Amirul Rajiv

We appreciate the statement of the Honourable Finance Minister about the power shortage in the pre-budget meeting with the Honourable Chairmen of the Parliamentary committees recently. This indicates that the Honourable Finance Minister is sincere in his thoughts and honest in his action.
However, sincerity and honesty at the ministerial level are not enough. Something has to be done to address the power outage becoming gruesome day by day, especially in the capital city where a large number of foreigners live. A year ago, in this column, the present I proposed buying electricity from Nepal and Bhutan.
Both the countries then expressed their willingness to sell their surplus power to Bangladesh as reported by local newspapers. Unfortunately, that idea has long been buried in the oblivion.
Today to save the capital and the govt. from acute suffering and hapless disgrace there is only one way left at hand. That is to equip the farmers to manage their irrigation needs. They may be supplied with diesel generators and power-pumps (tax-free) to be independent from the national electricity grid to run the pumps in their rice fields. The govt. may have to spend as much as Tk 1000 crore in grant or in subsidy which if spread in four years (life span of a generating machine) amounts to Tk 250 crore only per year. This may take two to three months if taken in right earnest. After this short time, the power thus saved will not only ease the crisis in Dhaka but also free the industries now suffering from power shortage. Fertilizer factories also may not be shut down to avoid an imminent fertilizer crisis. It's needless to say that this extra expenditure on the part of the present govt. is the punitive legacy of the immediate past govt. for their inaction in power sector or reaction in cancelling the work order of the 450 MW Serajganj power station.