Promoting cheap solar power for homes, not easy-bikes

Although the High Court (HC) has banned plying of easy-bikes and other battery-run vehicles from roads and highways in view of a high rate of casualties in accidents, there is a plan to introduce solar-powered recharge stations in divisional headquarters for them. It reflects how the basics of the rule of law are being flouted to meet powerful quarters' endless scramble for bucks. By banning battery-run vehicles, the HC quite rightly highlighted the dangers being posed to human lives. But then the purported decision to set up solar-powered recharge stations for them to stop pilferage of electricity will only give further fillip to serious hazards now being posed to commuters.

Easy-bikes have certainly eased manual labour of drivers but then those who drive such speedy vehicles are not at all trained enough to handle them. About 100 per cent of the battery-run vehicles do not have registration. Thousands of such easy-bikes are still in operation flouting the ban imposed in 2012. As a result, such battery-run vehicles cause mishaps. By deciding to install solar-powered recharge stations in divisional headquarters, the authorities will only give legal coverage to the illegal easy-bike business. Plying of such battery-run vehicles is in serious violation of the Motor Vehicle Ordinance also.

Pilferage of electricity by the easy-bike owners is glaring. According to newspaper reports, whopping 300 megawatts of power are being pilfered by them. This simply frustrates the government's frantic moves to provide electricity as far as possible to the common man. According to an official estimate, 300,000 easy-bikes are running in rural and urban areas, but the figure is much higher, according to unofficial sources. The power distribution companies are reportedly taking steps so that the auto rickshaws/easy-bikes can not use electricity illegally for charging batteries.   

On the other hand, there is no effective drive yet to curb illegal electricity connections that have increased gradually across the country resulting in loss of revenues worth billions of taka. It is suspected that over 200MW electricity is being pilfered daily through such illegal connections. This illegal use of power has so far remained unidentified. It has created serious problems for load management and also entails financial losses for the power companies. Makeshift shops in Dhaka, other cities and big towns keep using electricity through illegal connections for several hours. The connections are reportedly provided by people identifying themselves as linesmen of power supply authorities. The so-called linesmen are making money from the illegal power consumption. In some areas, the illegal connections are given from the main lines and in some other areas from nearby shops.

Use of solar power to electrify rural homes at an affordable cost, and not for the purpose of   charging batteries of  easy-bikes, needs to be promoted without any delay. The government should facilitate access of solar power agencies working in the country to advanced technology presently being used in different countries to reduce the cost of the installation and maintenance of solar panels. This will reduce consumers' dependence on costly power being generated by quick rental power stations.