Protest erupts over power cuts
Customers of Sirajganj Palli Bidyut Samity-1 staged a protest outside its office in Ullapara on Thursday, alleging excessive electricity bills and prolonged load-shedding in parts of the district.
Customers from different areas of Ullapara gathered in front of the Palli Bidyut Samity-1 office around 11am and held a demonstration and sit-in, demanding action over what they described as abnormal electricity bills.
The protesters also demanded the resignation of General Manager Nurul Huda. They alleged that meter readings are sometimes not taken before bills are prepared, resulting in inflated charges.
They said the additional bills are putting financial pressure on households and businesses, particularly those with limited incomes.
The protesters demanded that meter readings and billing calculations be rechecked and any excess charges refunded or adjusted.
The general manager, however, said several meter readers had recorded higher readings for some customers. After the irregularities were identified, administrative action was taken against the meter readers concerned, according to a report published on Thursday.
The protest turned tense at one point, prompting police intervention. Police later cleared the area in front of the office.
A delegation of protesters subsequently met the general manager and raised their complaints.
Ullapara Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Mehedi Hasan said the situation was under control.
Rural areas face prolonged outages
The protest comes amid wider concerns over power supply in rural parts of Sirajganj.
On June 27, residents of Raiganj besieged the Dhangara Palli Bidyut office over severe load-shedding and prolonged outages. At the time, residents alleged that some areas were receiving electricity for only four to five hours a day, with supply sometimes lasting just 10 to 20 minutes at a time.
Frequent power cuts have also affected the district’s handloom industry. Workers and mill owners in Laxmikola said outages force mills to remain shut for extended periods, disrupting production and causing financial losses.
Students have also reported difficulties continuing their studies because of the irregular power supply.
Power crisis nationwide
The problems in Sirajganj come against a broader backdrop of power-supply shortages across Bangladesh.
A report published in August said rural consumers in some areas were facing up to 16 hours of load-shedding a day amid a shortage of gas for power generation.
National Grid data on August 12 showed a supply deficit of 2,314MW at 8am, rising to 3,194MW at 1am.
In Sirajganj, the severity of outages varies by area. While load-shedding is reportedly relatively limited in Sirajganj Sadar and Kamarkhanda, residents of Ullapara, Belkuchi, Shahjadpur, Chauhali and Raiganj have reported more frequent outages.
The combination of disputed electricity bills and unreliable power supply is fuelling growing dissatisfaction among rural customers, who are now demanding both accurate billing and uninterrupted electricity service.
