Power shortage gets so bad, Palli Bidyut calls police for backup

The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Association (BREA) has sought police protection for power grids, substations and offices of 80 rural electricity cooperatives across the country, citing fears of attacks and vandalism amid prolonged load shedding.

The association sent a letter to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Wednesday, highlighting incidents of attacks on rural electricity facilities in different areas as public frustration grows over extended power outages.

The letter, signed by Mahbubur Rahman, office secretary of the association, said power generation has been disrupted by an ongoing fuel shortage and intense heat, resulting in inadequate electricity supply across the country.

The situation has been particularly severe in rural areas served by the rural electricity cooperatives, where prolonged load shedding has triggered growing public anger, according to the letter.

The association said around 40 million of the country’s approximately 52 million electricity consumers are served by rural electricity cooperatives, meaning they account for nearly 80 percent of total consumers.

It clarified that the cooperatives do not generate electricity themselves. Instead, they distribute electricity to consumers according to the allocation they receive from the national power supply system.
8-12 hours of load shedding reported

According to the association, the average demand of rural electricity cooperatives has stood at around 8,000 to 9,000 megawatts in recent days, while they have been receiving only around 5,000 to 6,000 megawatts on average.

As a result, some areas have been experiencing 8 to 12 hours of load shedding a day, the letter said.
The prolonged outages have reportedly led to incidents of people attacking and vandalising substations and other rural electricity facilities in different parts of the country.

The association said its officials and employees working at substations and other facilities are now facing security concerns and fear of further attacks.

Police protection sought
Against this backdrop, the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Association urged the IGP to issue necessary instructions to local law enforcement agencies to strengthen security at grids, substations and offices under every rural electricity cooperative.

The association said ensuring security at these facilities is essential to protect both infrastructure and employees amid the growing public frustration over load shedding.

Copies of the letter were sent to the private secretaries of the minister, state minister and secretary of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources; the chairman of the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board; all deputy commissioners, police superintendents, general managers of rural electricity cooperatives, upazila nirbahi officers and officers-in-charge of police stations.

The demand for increased security comes as the country’s power sector faces mounting pressure from fuel shortages, high electricity demand and extreme heat. With rural consumers bearing a significant share of the ongoing load shedding, electricity authorities are also facing growing pressure to maintain uninterrupted distribution while protecting their facilities and personnel.