‘Load-shedding may rise’

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has hinted increasing rolling outage in future so that the people will ‘not forget’ how much they had suffered during the term of the 2001-6 BNP-led government.

The Awami League-led government had taken the power production to over 8,000 MW, she said at a press conference at Ganabhaban on Sunday.

“You all know I had ordered to effect a two-hour daily outage so that everyone gets power equally. The directive was given also to remind the people how much they had suffered earlier.”

She said it would not be right to forget the distress caused the outage. “People should not forget what the main problem was. Maybe I would order again to increase the rate of load-shedding in future.”

She described the government’s development activities in many sectors including power.

Hasina said, “When Awami League took office in 2009, only 3,200 MW power was generated at the time. And now, we have achieved a power generation of 8,600 megawatts.”

The then four-party coalition government had plaunged Bangladesh’s politics into darkness, she said.

Speaking about development initiatives taken by her government, Hasina said the ‘golden age’ started for Bangladesh after 1996 when Awami League took office. The country made progress in every sector in those five years.

The Prime Minister also alleged that there was no progress in the country during the tenure of the BNP-led government after it had come to power in 2001.