The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) is working to illuminate ‘Rangabali,’ a remote upazila island of the Bay of Bengal with electricity within this year.
‘Rangabali’ about 40 kms from Patuakhali district, and surrounded by sea and rivers, is home to around two lakh people. However, electricity is one of the main obstacles to economic prosperity of the potential area.
Not only ‘Rangabali’, BREB, will also provide electricity to 1,059 remote villages in its off-grid or remote areas during the ‘Mujib Barsho’ (December, 2020), the centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth.
BREB, the country’s largest power distribution entity has already ensured 100 percent electricity coverage in its on-grid areas.
BREB director Mohammad Anwar Hossain told Bangladesh Post, “we have already completed 100 percent electrification through our 80 ‘Palli Biddut Somitee’ (PBS) on our grid-connected areas with some 461 upazilas enjoying this privilege. The Prime Minister has inaugurated 100 percent electrification programme for 288 upazilas and remaining 173 upazilas are awaiting inauguration.”
‘Some 99 percent people are now under electricity coverage in our distribution area. We hope to bring the rest of the places including off-grid upazila ‘Rangabali’ and some 1,059 villages, located in remote areas, under electricity coverage within the ‘Mujib Barsho,” he added.
Hossain said there are some 1,059 villages in the off-grid or remote areas where power connection gets costly and time consuming to reach the grid lines. We will ensure electricity facility in the remote villages in 3 phases. Of these some 1.55 lakh users in 646 villages will get electricity under phase-1 by this month. Under phase-2, some 90 thousand users in 384 remote areas will get electricity facilities by November.
Electricity will be supplied to around 2.5 lakh families in the 1,030 villages under phase-1 and phase-2 by laying submarine cable drawn under the riverbeds. With a length of different river crossings it is about 100 kilometers, more than 300 kilometers of submarine cable will be installed to supply electricity from the national grid to these remote areas. Under phase-3, around 6,000 users in another 29 remote villages will get electricity using Solar Home Systems (SHS) by December at an affordable price, BREB official said.
BREB is now distributing leaflets on ensuring 100 percent electricity connection in the rural areas. Announcement is being made with potential users being requested to contact the nearest PBS office to get a power connection.
No extra charges are required for getting an electricity connection except the fees fixed by the government (payable through money receipts). Therefore, all have been requested to contact the PBS office directly, according to the BREB.
The officials and employees of the 80 PBS under BREB are providing electricity to the people’s homes as ‘Alor Feriwala’, the peddler of light, which has greatly reduced customer’s harassment. The subscriber is receiving a power connection in 5 to 10 minutes under the initiative.
Keeping in mind the people’s desire for smooth power supply, BREB has formed special teams for each PBS to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply in rural areas during the coronavirus crisis. The team named ‘Durjoge Alor Guerrilla’ (light guerrillas during disaster) comprising local residents will ensure electricity supply in any crisis situation, BREB official said.
In order to ensure transparency and accountability, Sheikh Hasina's initiative - electricity from door to door, PBS is continuing ‘yard meeting’ in the rural area.
BREB is supplying electricity to around 3 crore users or about 14 crore people resolving customers’ complaints. It has built 5.3 lakh distribution lines and 1070 substations to supply electricity.
BREB and PBS have already been able to achieve good reputation at home and abroad by providing proper management, quality services, transparency, accountability and efficiency in the rural electrification programme.