PM to inaugurate ‘Alok Utsab’ at BICC
The government will celebrate the milestone of 10,000 MW of power generation in the country on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate a function, titled ‘Alok Utsab’ (illumination festival) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC). She will also inaugurate the ‘National Electricity Week’ at the same venue.
Besides, there will be celebrations at Hatirjheel through firework display.
Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury said this at a press conference at PID auditorium on Monday.
He admitted that though the country crossed the 10,000-MW generation benchmark, available power generation now stands at 6000-plus MW.
“This happens because about 2,000 MW could not be generated for gas shortage and 1,000 MW for limitation at distribution and transmission system and another 1,000 MW for maintenance programme,” he explained.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, State Minister for Power and Energy Mohammad Enamul Haque and Power Secretary Monwar Islam were also present.
Dr Chowdhury claimed that the country’s power generation achieved 110 percent growth in last five years due to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s dynamic and visionary leadership. “This is more than what spelled out in the election manifesto of the Awami League… in overall performance, the government deserves to get “Golden A” in the result, he said.
He, however, parried a question as to how much amount of subsidy was given to power generation and how much the cost of power production has gone up in the last five years.
Dr Chowdhury said the increased power generation contributed Tk 100,000 crore to the national economy at the economic value which also resulted in 41 percent export growth.
The PM’s Adviser further said the country’s power generation capacity now stands at 10,213 MW of which public sector belongs to 5962 MW, private sector 3751 MW and import from India provides 500 MW. This will reach 10,979 MW by December this year, he added.
A paper presented at the press briefing reveals that people’s access to electricity has increased by 15 percent although the power generation achieved 110 percent growth. It shows the number of the country’s power plants have increased to 84 in 2013 from 27 in 2009.
Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said the country had to face 18 hours load shedding during the period of the past BNP-Jamaat government. “But now the country experiences 2-3 hours darkness.”
He was critical of leader of the opposition BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia as she failed to present any alternative development plan for the power sector though she always slams the incumbent government’s initiatives for setting up rental power plants.
Source: UNB Connect
