The New Nation - Internet Edition

Shamim Jahangir

The completion of on-going eight projects of Rural Electrification Board (REB) has become uncertain within a scheduled timeframe due to lack of government initiative, sources of REB said.

"If the authority fails to complete six projects out of eight within this fiscal year, the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Department For International Development (DFID) will withdraw their aid from the projects, according to sources.

The total expenditure of the eight projects is Tk 670 crore. Of the amount, WB, ADB and DFID contributed Tk 390 crore for seven projects while rest Tk 280 crore was financed by the government.

Of the eight projects--WB financed Tk 208.25 for Intensification and Expansion of 15 PBS's (Palli Biddut Samati-2nd Phase), System Loss Reduction for Taken-over Lines, The Institution Development Plan for REB and Rural Electrification Programme and Socio-economic Monitoring and Impact Evaluation of Rural Electrification Programme in Bangladesh, ADB financed Tk 8 crore for Construction of REB

Training Academy Complex, DFID financed 10 Lakh new Consumers Connection under Existing Distribution System and Intensification and Expansion of Nine PBS and the Bangladesh government financed Tk 280 crore for Construction for 33 KV line for PBS Sub-station.

"The Power Ministry has not yet taken any decision for purchasing equipment and completed formalities for starting activities to complete the eight projects," sources said.

"We need to expand and construct 8,787 kilometres of new lines at 24 PBS. Besides, we will also have to rehabilitate the existing lines under the projects," a high official of REB said.

"We have completed 10,284 kilometres lines out of 12,400 kilometres on Intensification and Expansion of 15 PBS's (Palli Biddut Samati-2nd Phase) project, 12,83 kilometres of construction lines out of 1,700 kilometres on Construction for 33 KV line for PBS Sub-station, 6,765 kilometres out of 10,000 kilometres lines on Intensification and Expansion of Nine PBS and 8,973 kilometres system loss reduction lines on System Loss Reduction for Taken-over Lines projects," he informed.

"The purchase department of the REB is not contemplating to buy the required machineries and other construction elements to implement the project as it has, not got final approval of the Power Ministry to do that," sources added.

"The REB has 73,00000 consumers now. It will add more than 12 lakh subscribers if it completes the projects in the next three years," he said.