logo

Staggered weekly holidays in industrial zones announced

500-550 MW to be saved


FE REPORT | Friday, 12 August 2022



The government on Thursday announced staggered weekly holidays to ensure an uninterrupted power supply in the industrial zones across the country.
The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) under the labour and employment ministry issued a circular in this regard dividing the areas into seven zones with immediate effect.
On August 07, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid, after a meeting with business leaders, disclosed the government decision that industries across the country would be shut once a week under a fresh area-based rationing programme to minimise consumption of both natural gas and electricity.
The rationing system is expected to help save 500-550 megawatt (MW) of power.
Textile and apparel makers in the meeting requested the government to keep the spinning and dyeing mills outside the purview of the area-based rationing programme.
Unlike many other industrial units, some factories including spinning and dyeing mills, especially those face starting-load, will face blow due to the staggering weekly holidays.
When asked, Khorshed Alam chairman of the standing committee on development of local spinning, weaving and dyeing mills of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) said, production of textile mills especially spinning and dyeing ones would be hampered severely.
Double electricity would be consumed when such mills reopens after closure due to high starting load, he said adding at least 36 hours' production would be lost and labour cost would be double for a 24 hour closure.
There are about 1,400 spinning, weaving and dying mills registered with BTMA while 400 out of them are export-oriented ones and the rest 1,000 supply products to the local market.
The details of the government's announced staggered weekly holidays are available at the official website of DIFE (www.dife.gov.bd).

[email protected]