Ice shortage threatens hilsa business in Bhola
Sunday, 2 November 2008
Our Correspondent
BHOLA, Nov 1: Ice production dropped in the factories during the last two months due to continuous power outage and low voltage of the electricity.
About 20 factories in the district produce ice to cope with the requirement of three thousand hilsa business centres.
But nagging electricity supply in last two months hit hard ice production in the district.
Hosen, owner of a hilsa business centre at Chiki Ghata (a river port of the district) said, "The poor electricity supply caused acute ice shortage in the market resulting in soaring ice price that compelled us to preserve hilsa with salt. Fishermen and businessmen here are very anxious and worried counting losses."
Bhola Pally Biddyut Samity (BPBS) sources said that they were not getting sufficient supply of electricity from Patuakhali Grid Sub-station and this is why the Samity failed to meet even the demand of the household consumers let alone ice factories.
The Bhola PBS and three WZPDC (the then PDB) centres are being controlled from Patuakhali Grid Sub-Station which is about 147 kilometres away from Bhola with four isolators along the total 33 KV lines.
The electric line from Patuakhali goes to BPBS linking through Baufal Sub-station and WZPDC Bhola instead of direct line. So the consumers of BPBS suffered most while electric line of Patuakhali-Baufal or Baufal-Bhola were to keep closed during the period of repairing.
The government has taken plan to set up a 34.05 MW power generation plant in Bhola Sadar beside the Bhola-Barisal Highway. Setting up of the plant is to be completed within 3 months and the prevailing power shortage problem is expected to be mostly solved with the establishment of the plant.
BHOLA, Nov 1: Ice production dropped in the factories during the last two months due to continuous power outage and low voltage of the electricity.
About 20 factories in the district produce ice to cope with the requirement of three thousand hilsa business centres.
But nagging electricity supply in last two months hit hard ice production in the district.
Hosen, owner of a hilsa business centre at Chiki Ghata (a river port of the district) said, "The poor electricity supply caused acute ice shortage in the market resulting in soaring ice price that compelled us to preserve hilsa with salt. Fishermen and businessmen here are very anxious and worried counting losses."
Bhola Pally Biddyut Samity (BPBS) sources said that they were not getting sufficient supply of electricity from Patuakhali Grid Sub-station and this is why the Samity failed to meet even the demand of the household consumers let alone ice factories.
The Bhola PBS and three WZPDC (the then PDB) centres are being controlled from Patuakhali Grid Sub-Station which is about 147 kilometres away from Bhola with four isolators along the total 33 KV lines.
The electric line from Patuakhali goes to BPBS linking through Baufal Sub-station and WZPDC Bhola instead of direct line. So the consumers of BPBS suffered most while electric line of Patuakhali-Baufal or Baufal-Bhola were to keep closed during the period of repairing.
The government has taken plan to set up a 34.05 MW power generation plant in Bhola Sadar beside the Bhola-Barisal Highway. Setting up of the plant is to be completed within 3 months and the prevailing power shortage problem is expected to be mostly solved with the establishment of the plant.