Why excessive load-shedding?

It is concerning to note that people across the country have been suffering long power cuts as electricity production is being hampered because of a shortage of gas supply. Currently, as many as 58 power plants are not operating to their usual capacity due to the short supply of gas. The production shortfall of electricity on Monday was 4,118MW, according to Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) data.
Media reports yesterday said that all areas in Dhaka experienced four to six hours of load-shedding on Monday, even after midnight. In July, the government decided to implement load-shedding as power generation fell short compared to demand and the public accepted despite the difficulty. It was then said that there will be load-shedding for one hour a day in Dhaka and two hours outside Dhaka. But in reality, the duration of load shedding is much longer, which is not only disrupting normal life but also putting severe pressure on the economy. Now load-shedding is happening for 10 to 12 hours depending on the area, rural areas the worst sufferers.
Energy experts have said if the massive corruption and wastage in the electricity and gas sectors could be reduced, the people would not have to go through this unbearable power cut. Millions are being wasted in the name of system loss in both the power and gas sectors. We are not aware of any action against those responsible for this. To them, the government has fixed the load shedding schedule discreetly. It should be investigated why the schedule is being disrupted and people have to remain without power for hours. Action should be taken against the responsible persons and institutions.
As the load shedding was introduced, it was assumed that the problem would be solved without much delay. After that, the government increased the price of fuel oil from 42 to 51 per cent. This has intensified the suffering of all classes of people, especially the low-income and marginalised ones in cities and villages.
It may be noted that some 60 per cent of the country last week went under a massive blackout for a few hours due to a collapse in the national grid. A total of 32 districts in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions were completely without electricity for four to eight hours. Common people’s daily lives were greatly affected while emergency services, including business, industries, medical services severely hampered, telecommunication and bank transactions disrupted.
This situation cannot continue. People must not undergo such hardship day in and day out. The authorities need to return to focusing on local exploration and extraction of gas instead of relying on fuel imports, as experts have suggested for years. Unscheduled load-shedding must stop.