Govt to withdraw curb on rural power supply in Apr
Tuesday, 12 February 2008
The government has decided to withdraw the restriction on new electricity connections to households and businesses located in rural areas from April, an official said Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
Power Division Secretary M Fawzul Kabir Khan told the news agency that the ban's withdrawal would come into effect from April 1 as the Boro season comes to an end.
New connections will be given as long as applicants have fulfilled the Rural Electrification Board's (REB) revenue criteria, and local substations can deal with the required capacity, the secretary said.
The REB's revenue criteria demand that supply lines for new connections must be economically viable. Connections are therefore denied to applicants who use little electricity and are located far from main lines.
The present caretaker government initially imposed the ban to compensate for a huge over-subscription in such lines, which they claim resulted from political favours given by the immediate past government.
According to power division data, 12,861 new supply lines were established in 2006, compared to just 3,447 in 2007 and over 0.84 million (8.47 lakh) new connections were given in 2006 compared to 0.72 million (7.28 lakh) in 2007.
The REB officials said provision of new connections was halted in 2007, as power production fell.
An official from the power division said the government took its decision in line with its plan to add 1000 megawatts of supply to the national grid through 2008.
The ban has been gradually lifted on new connections for agricultural use, poultry farming and export-oriented sectors.
The REB has approximately 7.0 million subscribers, with around 6.0 million households connected. A total of 0.5 million connections are provided to businesses, 0.2 million in the agriculture sector and 0.2 million to industries.
In many areas new supply lines had been set up without the connections being provided, REB officials added.
Power Division Secretary M Fawzul Kabir Khan told the news agency that the ban's withdrawal would come into effect from April 1 as the Boro season comes to an end.
New connections will be given as long as applicants have fulfilled the Rural Electrification Board's (REB) revenue criteria, and local substations can deal with the required capacity, the secretary said.
The REB's revenue criteria demand that supply lines for new connections must be economically viable. Connections are therefore denied to applicants who use little electricity and are located far from main lines.
The present caretaker government initially imposed the ban to compensate for a huge over-subscription in such lines, which they claim resulted from political favours given by the immediate past government.
According to power division data, 12,861 new supply lines were established in 2006, compared to just 3,447 in 2007 and over 0.84 million (8.47 lakh) new connections were given in 2006 compared to 0.72 million (7.28 lakh) in 2007.
The REB officials said provision of new connections was halted in 2007, as power production fell.
An official from the power division said the government took its decision in line with its plan to add 1000 megawatts of supply to the national grid through 2008.
The ban has been gradually lifted on new connections for agricultural use, poultry farming and export-oriented sectors.
The REB has approximately 7.0 million subscribers, with around 6.0 million households connected. A total of 0.5 million connections are provided to businesses, 0.2 million in the agriculture sector and 0.2 million to industries.
In many areas new supply lines had been set up without the connections being provided, REB officials added.