No remarkable improvement of power situation is seen in the ongoing summer season that causes huge suffering for the HSC examinees and Boro farmers. Residents and boro farmers yesterday experienced ten to sixteen hours electricity cut, according to sources.

There was 1,800MW of load shedding yesterday against the demand of 5,500MW, sources said.

A syndicate is reportedly active in supplying adulterated fuel oils in different fuel sales points in the Khulna city and also many rural areas of the district.
Members of the syndicate collect adulterated fuel oils from different parts of the country and supply them to their local customers, local sources said.

A TIMELY call by experts at a roundtable the other day for alternative energy sources, undoubtedly, remind the planners both in the public and private sectors of the urgency of expediting the adoption of renewable energy technologies for meeting the growing demands for electricity.

The government is likely to allocate Tk 1,018 crore for Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry for exploration of gas and oil fields and development of existing gas distribution pipeline to provide better services to clients.

It will be a component of the annual development programme (ADP) for next fiscal.

The allocation will be Tk 228.97 crore higher than that of the ongoing ADP budget.

What should have been done ages ago has been sent to different ministries for opinion. This is not the Friday/Sunday issue to be debated upon. If you want to save energy by closing down shops and businesses at 8 pm, then adopt the day light saving scheme to save further. Pushing the clock in summer by one hour, you actually save daylight.

In the backdrop of scarcity of electricity one may think of daylight saving by advancing clock timing which is in practice in Europe and other countries. Bangladesh is a tropical country where difference of day and night time is not too wide. Sun shines 10 to 12 hours in daytime around the year. As such advancing the clock by an hour will not be useful for us.

The power ministry has decided in principle not to extend deadlines for four rental power projects totalling 155 MW capacity for their repeated failure to launch commercial operation and would ask the Power Development Board (PDB) to take action as per contracts.

Two UK based companies have expressed interest to invest in proposed 450MW Power Plant at Bibiana in Habiganj which installation process was suspended last year during the period of the caretaker government as only one company participated in bidding.

The two UK based companies are the Independent Power Corporation PIC and the Christofferson Rob and Company.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said the process of undertaking power projects gets delayed due to fear of corruption, hindering desired results from power generation.

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Hasan Mahmud yesterday sought assistance from Switzerland for strengthening local government bodies and supplying solar panel to meet the demand for power in remote areas.

Mahmud sought the Swiss cooperation for imparting training to the women vice chairmen of the upazila parishads.