PM seeks another chance to ensure overall dev

---

NATORE, Dec 11 (UNB): Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina Sunday said if the present government gets another chance to serve the nation, it would ensure overall development of the country. Hasina, also the President of Bangladesh Awami League (AL), made the remark while addressing a condolence rally arranged at the Kanaikhali Math commemorating the demise of district AL General Secretary Hanif Ali Sheikh. Earlier, at noon, the PM laid the foundation stone of Barobhita 50 megawatts power plant. Addressing the rally, the PM said that the opposition party had gotten unnerved as the government is implementing its election pledges one by one. "The opposition Party is unhappy when people are happy," she said. During the 2002-2008 periods, Hasina recalled, people had to endure severe electricity crisis. "The situation was so horrible that people used to ask how long electricity would be there (a day) instead of asking about load-shedding length," the PM commented. She recalled that when her government took office first in 1996, it had found electricity generation at 1600 megawatts and by the end of its tenure the government had been successful to take it to 4300 megawatts. "When we had taken office on January 6, 2009, we unfortunately found electricity generation at 3264 megawatts, down from 4300 megawatt s," she said. The PM also said that the BNP-Jamaat alliance government and the subsequent caretaker regime could not add a single megawatts of power to the national grid. "But, the present government has so far added 2694 megawatts. Besides, 26 power plants are under construction from where we'll get 3,555 megawatts more," she said. The government has also been able to increase gas generation by 349 million cubic foot, while 250 kilometres gas supply lines and 280 kilometres gas distribution pipelines have been installed, she said.