Dhaka: Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting Adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman on Tuesday expressed hope that the ongoing load shedding across the country will reduce significantly within a very short period. ‘The burden of load shedding caused by the ongoing power crisis is now being shared relatively evenly between urban and rural areas,’ he said at a press briefing on the progress of various government activities at Secretariat.
According to United News of Bangladesh, Zahed noted that Dhaka residents have recently been experiencing an unusual level of load shedding, a situation not commonly observed in the capital in the past. He explained that whereas electricity supply was previously ensured in Dhaka with more load shedding imposed in rural areas, the current government has decided to distribute the burden of the crisis equally.
Zahed emphasized that electricity should be supplied more to large cities due to their concentrated economic activities, not because influential individuals reside there. However, since the government has decided that everyone will share in the load shedding, Dhaka is now experiencing it as well.
The adviser announced plans to publish data showing the actual extent of load shedding during the Awami League government and the interim government, despite claims of uninterrupted power supply during those times. He committed to providing this data next week to clarify the amount of load shedding that occurred and how many megawatts were involved.
He claimed that a significant portion of the load shedding during previous periods was imposed on rural and remote areas, a practice from which the government has now moved away. Zahed urged the public to understand this shift in approach.
Explaining the reasons behind the current power shortage, he cited factors such as fuel shortages, sudden mechanical faults at power plants, maintenance work, limitations in the transmission grid, and rapidly rising electricity demand.
Zahed highlighted that economic activities tend to increase after a democratic government assumes office, leading to higher electricity demand, which was comparatively lower during the interim government’s tenure.
He said load shedding is being adjusted in areas under Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) and Dhaka Electric Supply Company (DESCO) to maintain a tolerable level of load shedding in rural areas and prevent prolonged outages in any particular area. The electricity saved through such adjustments is being redistributed to rural areas and other parts of the country.
As a result, the power supply situation for important consumer groups, including industries outside Dhaka, is improving, and the pressure of prolonged and frequent load shedding in rural areas is declining. This adjustment is making it possible to distribute the burden of load shedding more evenly across the country.