Acute power shortage leaves Baraigram residents reeling

 
BARAIGRAM, NATORE, Aug 1:  Prolonged power outages have disrupted daily life in Baraigram Upazila of Natore, with residents saying they are receiving less than one-third of the electricity they need amid soaring temperatures.
Consumers allege that electricity is unavailable for 15 to 16 hours a day, with rural areas experiencing significantly longer outages than the municipal area.
In addition to scheduled load-shedding, electricity is frequently cut for several hours at a time on the pretext of maintenance work, they said.
The situation has affected households, students preparing for the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations, businesses and transport workers.
Mustafizur Rahman Ratan, a labour leader at Royna Bharat Haat, said, "We are not getting even one-third of the electricity we need. While the municipality is comparatively better off, rural areas are bearing the brunt of the load-shedding."
Residents said repeated outages during the night have made it difficult to sleep, particularly for children and the elderly.
Al Amin, a resident of Bharatpur Village, said electricity goes off several times throughout the day and six to seven times every night.
"Power returns for only 20 to 25 minutes before going out again for two to two-and-a-half hours," he said.
Shahida Khatun, a homemaker from Uplashahar Village, said her two children had fallen ill due to the intense heat and sleepless nights caused by the outages.
Auto-rickshaw driver Abu Raihan of Mamudpur Village said his vehicle often remains undercharged because overnight electricity supply is insufficient.
"As a result, I cannot operate the auto-rickshaw properly during the day, making it difficult to earn a living," he said.
HSC examinee Fatematuz Zahra said frequent outages were affecting both her studies and sleep.
"I cannot study properly in the heat, and lack of sleep is making it harder to sit for exams," she said.
Workshop owners at Jonail Bazar also reported production losses, saying frequent power cuts were forcing them to keep workers idle while delaying deliveries to customers.
Mahbubur Rashid, General Manager of Natore Palli Bidyut Samity-2, said the crisis stemmed from a sharp shortfall in electricity supplied from the national grid.
"Normally, Baraigram and Gurudaspur upazilas receive about 45 megawatts of electricity from the Natore grid. At present, we are getting only 14 megawatts," he said.
"As a result, we have to enforce around 60 percent load-shedding throughout the day. Gas shortages have reduced electricity generation, leaving us with only about 40 percent of the required supply," he added.