Proposals galore on distribution line expansion despite power crisis
Saturday, 18 April 2009
FHM Humayan Kabir
The government has taken a move to substantially increase power distribution lines in the rural areas, mostly in political consideration despite a severe power crisis in the country, officials said Friday.
The Rural Electrification Board (REB) has taken up schemes to install nearly 45,000 kilometres of distribution lines to connect over 1.65 million new village consumers within the tenure of the present government, which ends in 2013, a government official said.
The state-owned rural electrification firm has submitted six project proposals to the planning commission in a bid to construct the distribution lines in its countrywide 70 palli-biddyut samity (PBSs) under six divisions at a cost of Tk 61.28 billion.
"We've been getting lot of pressure from different members of parliament and political leaders of the ruling party to expand the distribution lines in different villages. So, we have taken the move," said a top REB official requesting anonymity.
He said they have sent the proposals to the planning commission to incorporate those in the next year's annual development programme (ADP).
A power division official said the REB took similar schemes in political consideration during the previous BNP-led four-party alliance government period between 2001 and 2006.
Under the schemes, REB constructed thousands of kilometres of new distribution lines without ensuring adequate power supply, he said adding a good number of those lines are still going without electricity.
It was also alleged that massive corruption had taken place in implementing those projects that time, sources said.
"The country has been facing nearly 1500-megawatt (mw) of power shortage during peak hours every day. How the government can take up such projects of the REB?" a top power development board (PDB) official said.
During BNP-led government's five-year tenure to 2006, the REB installed 75,000 km power distribution lines and the client base was doubled from 3.0 million to 6.0 million although it failed to boost power generation.
It was alleged that a syndi cate of 13 concrete pole manufacturers through bid manipulation and political influence sold 1.5 million overpriced concrete electric poles worth Tk 11.0 billion between 2001 and July 2006 to the REB.
Insiders said this syndicate sold another 0.2 million poles to the REB on record, but these poles were not found in the project areas.
A Planning Commission official said they had opposed the move of the REB as there was huge electricity generation shortage against demands. "But there is heavy pressure on us from different quarters for undertaking the projects."
The REB will install 12,950 km of distribution lines and 68 substations at a cost of Tk18.01 billion to connect 0.52 million customers in the 21 PBSs under Dhaka division.
At 18 PBSs in Rajshahi, the rural electricity supplier will construct 11,150 km distribution lines and 48 sub-stations at a cost of Tk 15.28 billion where some 0.35 million customers will get electricity connections.
In Chittagong division, some 7,750 km lines and 32 sub-stations at a cost of Tk 10.55 billion will be constructed under a scheme.
The state-owned electricity distributor will install 6,050 km lines and 17 sub-stations at a cost of Tk7.96 billion in Khulna division, 3,300 km lines and nine substations at a cost of Tk 4.43 billion in Barisal division and 3,750 km lines and 10 substations at a cost of Tk 5.02 billion in Sylhet division.
The state-owned PDB said in last two years, nearly 400mw of new power has been generated from different small power plants and rental power plants against the eight per cent annual demand growth.
Besides, during 2001 to 2006 period only about 500mw new electricity has been added to the national grid, which was very inadequate to meet the growing electricity demand across the country, PDB said.
The government has taken a move to substantially increase power distribution lines in the rural areas, mostly in political consideration despite a severe power crisis in the country, officials said Friday.
The Rural Electrification Board (REB) has taken up schemes to install nearly 45,000 kilometres of distribution lines to connect over 1.65 million new village consumers within the tenure of the present government, which ends in 2013, a government official said.
The state-owned rural electrification firm has submitted six project proposals to the planning commission in a bid to construct the distribution lines in its countrywide 70 palli-biddyut samity (PBSs) under six divisions at a cost of Tk 61.28 billion.
"We've been getting lot of pressure from different members of parliament and political leaders of the ruling party to expand the distribution lines in different villages. So, we have taken the move," said a top REB official requesting anonymity.
He said they have sent the proposals to the planning commission to incorporate those in the next year's annual development programme (ADP).
A power division official said the REB took similar schemes in political consideration during the previous BNP-led four-party alliance government period between 2001 and 2006.
Under the schemes, REB constructed thousands of kilometres of new distribution lines without ensuring adequate power supply, he said adding a good number of those lines are still going without electricity.
It was also alleged that massive corruption had taken place in implementing those projects that time, sources said.
"The country has been facing nearly 1500-megawatt (mw) of power shortage during peak hours every day. How the government can take up such projects of the REB?" a top power development board (PDB) official said.
During BNP-led government's five-year tenure to 2006, the REB installed 75,000 km power distribution lines and the client base was doubled from 3.0 million to 6.0 million although it failed to boost power generation.
It was alleged that a syndi cate of 13 concrete pole manufacturers through bid manipulation and political influence sold 1.5 million overpriced concrete electric poles worth Tk 11.0 billion between 2001 and July 2006 to the REB.
Insiders said this syndicate sold another 0.2 million poles to the REB on record, but these poles were not found in the project areas.
A Planning Commission official said they had opposed the move of the REB as there was huge electricity generation shortage against demands. "But there is heavy pressure on us from different quarters for undertaking the projects."
The REB will install 12,950 km of distribution lines and 68 substations at a cost of Tk18.01 billion to connect 0.52 million customers in the 21 PBSs under Dhaka division.
At 18 PBSs in Rajshahi, the rural electricity supplier will construct 11,150 km distribution lines and 48 sub-stations at a cost of Tk 15.28 billion where some 0.35 million customers will get electricity connections.
In Chittagong division, some 7,750 km lines and 32 sub-stations at a cost of Tk 10.55 billion will be constructed under a scheme.
The state-owned electricity distributor will install 6,050 km lines and 17 sub-stations at a cost of Tk7.96 billion in Khulna division, 3,300 km lines and nine substations at a cost of Tk 4.43 billion in Barisal division and 3,750 km lines and 10 substations at a cost of Tk 5.02 billion in Sylhet division.
The state-owned PDB said in last two years, nearly 400mw of new power has been generated from different small power plants and rental power plants against the eight per cent annual demand growth.
Besides, during 2001 to 2006 period only about 500mw new electricity has been added to the national grid, which was very inadequate to meet the growing electricity demand across the country, PDB said.