Sources at the Betar's Sylhet centre said they have to suspend transmission for at least three hours a day.

Load shedding compelled political activists to stage demonstrations on streets. The 11-Party Alliance held a rally in the city recently and brought out a procession demanding an end to it.

Former lawmaker Muhammad Asharf Ali, President of Greater Sylhet Ganodabi Parishad, a non-political organization, in a statement urged the government to stop load shedding "at the earliest" or to face tougher agitation.

Life has become unbearable in the sweltering heat and businesses, small industries in particular, are suffering losses due to the power outage up to four hours at a stretch daily in different city areas.

SSC examinees are the worst suffers.

But no end to the crisis is in sight, according to Power Development Board sources.

A high official of PDB when contacted yesterday said the demand for power in the four districts of Sylhet division is 170 to 180 Megawatt during peak hours from 5 PM to 11 PM.

But only 55 per cent of it is supplied, he said.

"So we have to suspend supply in areas for hours by rotation".

Besides, disruption in supply also takes place. He however said disruption from fault in lines has come down due to the recent renovation of lines in Sylhet.

Whenever the power goes, it takes several hours to return.

"We have nothing to do unless supply from the national grid is raised", another PDB official said seeking anonymity.

Taking advantage of the situation, crimes like theft and mugging have increased, a number of city dwellers alleged.

The situation is more serious in the city suburbs like Khadimnagar, Tukerbazar Salutikor, Lalabazar, Srirampur, Kuchai and Hetimganj. Power goes for four to five hours at a stretch almost every day, residents there said.

They further alleged that they do not get response from the so-called complaint centers.

When contacted, the PDB Chief Engineer in Sylhet said power distribution is controlled by the central load dispatch center. There is nothing to do locally. The crisis is nationwide and will continue till generation is increased, he said.