Power ban --ruling and reality
S.A. Mansoor Gulshan, Dhaka.
This is a response to the write-up by Sabrina Murshed (DS: March 13) on the subject. The ministry's decision to suspend power supply to shopping malls in the evening does not seem to be a very serious and realistic approach to solving the problem of power shortage.However, if power consumption needs to be reduced to the malls; public power supply should ensure power for lifts or escalators and central air conditioning in the malls. Power to lifts and escalators is needed for safety and power to air conditioning plant is necessary in view of the hot weather and lack of natural ventilation in shopping malls. This can be arranged through installing some devices. A sensible solution has been proposed by Masud Hossain on the subject. I believe shutting shopping malls by 7 or 7.30pm could be the best way to solve it, and allow them to remain open on Fridays up to 6:00pm. However, the root of the problem lies with the government. The energy ministry should on top priority basis increase gas and power generation capacity to reduce and ultimately eliminate power shortage. This should also be taken along with upgrading and extension of transmission and distribution system which also contributes to power shortage. What about alternative power sources? The government seems to be oblivious of this issue. Can't the government nudge the City Corporation whose Head is totally unaware of bottlenecks in setting up a refuse based power plant in Dhaka? The possibilities of putting diesel based stand-by units to ease the city power shortage, particularly during peak demand period from 7:pm to 10:pm should be rapidly installed, if the government is really serious. The cost effective option of fuel free power from gas transmission line pressure reducing station is in fact energy going to waste. This could provide us fuel free low cost power wherever there is a gas pressure reducing station. The power and energy ministry should go for this easy option. Also based on coal in North Bangladesh a large coal fired power plant and associated transmission and distribution network brooks no further delay. Are we doing anything about these options? With so many realistic and viable options available it is indeed short sighted policy of the power ministry to go for the "ban on evening consumption" as a solution for chronic power shortage.
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