Road blocked demanding smooth power supply

During the protest, several hundred buses, trucks and other vehicles were stranded on the highway creating an unusual traffic jam from 7:30pm to 8pm.

Life has become miserable due to frequent load shedding in the entire district. In many areas, people get electricity only for 5-6 hours a day, locals complained.

Some villages sometimes go without electricity for two or three days, said a Rural Electrification Board (REB) official on condition of anonymity.

He said he sees hardly any chance to improve the situation, as the power supply from the national grid is unusually low.

Rangpur Power Development Board (PDB) executive engineer said the crisis became acute with the rising demand for electricity.

'We did not think that farmers would need electricity for irrigation during monsoon, he said adding we were not prepared for this'.

Affluent farmers who irrigate aman fields with power pumps are worried for crisis of electricity. The ongoing drought has aggravated the situation in the entire district.