Power supply to Khaleda’s office restored
Power supply to Khaleda’s office restored
Power supply to Gulshan office of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in Dhaka has been restored 17 and a half hours after it was snapped.
Following an order issued from the higher authorities we have restored the power to the BNP chief’s office, one of the workmen told reporters around 10:10pm.
Several workmen with cover on their faces came to the spot and within just five minutes they reconnected the snapped wires at an electric pole near to Khaleda’s office in Gulshan.
After finishing their job the workmen hurriedly left the area.
Office staff of Khaleda’s Gulshan office confirmed about the restoration of power around 10:20pm.
Earlier, as Khaleda Zia’s house sank into darkness after midnight, she was first panicked about why only her residence had a power cut. Then her party men immediately switched on lights in their mobiles.
It took about an hour for the generator to start and only then her house was lighted up again.
And much later after shutdown of power, cable and Internet connections, staff at Khaleda’s office were preparing for the worst, “almost certain” that the government might cut off water and gas supplies too.
Four drums of fuel have been brought in to keep the generator running. Her staffs are now discussing what emergency supplies need to be stocked up.
Sources close to Khaleda insisted that she would not leave her Gulshan office no matter what pressure the government brings on her.
“Khaleda Zia knows that people’s sympathy would grow with time if the government continues such moves. She wants to take advantage of this to take forward the opposition’s movement to force the government to announce general election,” a BNP standing committee members told The Daily Star preferring not to be named.
The two-storied office, where Khaleda has been staying since she was confined of January 5, has five rooms – two on the ground floor and three on the first. There is a kitchen on the ground floor.
They brought in a cot and mattress and turned a room on the first floor into a makeshift bedroom for the party chief.
The power cut off came at 2:42am, hours after Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan threatened that power and gas connections to her office would be severed and food supply would be halted if Khaleda did not call off the nationwide blockade which passed 25th day yesterday.
When an employee of Desco cut the power line, Khaleda Zia was awake and inquired anxiously what happened since the surrounding buildings still had power.
The generator – installed beside the garage of the two-storied building – took long time to start working properly as it was not needed to be used for long time.
When the authorities severed the cable TV and Internet connection around 10:00 in the morning, it became quite clear to the office insiders and BNP leaders that “the government might do more” to pressure the BNP.
Staff at office were not getting access to internet using GrameenPhone and Robi modems. Journalists covering the events failed to send their feeds to office via Internet from in front of the office.
Khaleda’s emails were later accessed from a building nearby.
“Though four drums of fuel have been brought, we are not sure whether the authorities would allow us later to do so in the coming days,” said an insider.
If Khaleda sticks to her plan to stay at her office, she would have to accept that she would have to do without these services, he said.
“We will decide later in the day what we need to bring in,” another staff said at the noon.
Around 3:00pm, the land phones and mobile phones at the office could not be reached from outside.