The New Nation - Internet Edition

Our Correspondents, Noakhali

People are agitating for electricity in different places of the country as the frequent load shedding has made life intolerable.

Angry clients at Shenbagh upazila of Noakhali district detained seven staff of the PDB and REB, including two engineers, and harassed them. Diarrohea and other diseases are being breaking out in different parts of the country due to the torching heat, Our correspondents writes.

In Shenbagh of Noakhali, angry clients of electricity detained seven staff of PDB and REB, including two engineers and harassed them for electricity in two incidents on Saturday last.

The incidents happened at Basantapur and Chandpur areas of the upazila. Later the employees and officers were freed after they assured to reduce frequency of load shedding. One line man and two meter readers went to Basantapur Bazar on Saturday to collect outstanding electricity bills. When they reached the Basantapur Bazar, the angry clients beat the three workers of the REB and detained them. Later, some employees were there and freed their colleagues persuading the clients. The same day two linemen of REB went to Chandpur Bazar to repair an electric poll. While they were returning to their work place, a group of angry clients detained them at Chandpur High School. Two engineers of the department at night went to the Bazar to free them, but the angry villagers also detained the engineers. The engineers and the employees were freed after the engineers assured the villagers to cut the load shedding.

DGM of Shenbag zone of REB Mosharraf Hossain confirming the two incidents said their workers are working amid risks in the arising out situation. They are reporting every incident in the local police station. They are also informing about the incidents to the high authorities, but the situation is not improving.

Sufferings of the people of Lakhipur district know no bounds following frequent load shedding of power. The heat wave, which is sweeping the country, killed an old man at Kamal Nagar suffering a heat stroke. The heat wave is forcing people to remain indoor as a result the less number of people are seen at village markets.

The attendance of students in schools and colleges of the district has fallen apparently due to the heat wave.

The small and medium scale industrial units are about to be shut due to shortage of power.

Moreover, different diseases, including diarrhoea, are breaking out in different areas of the district. The number of patients in the hospital is on the rise. PDB sources in Lakhipur said they are getting one and a half MWs electricity for 12,300 clients at Lakhipur pourasava against their demand of six MWs. REB is getting six to eight MWs against its demand for 26 MWs. Anger is growing among the people for power. The businessmen of Bhabaniganj junction detained two workers of REB on Friday and put barricade on the road staging a demonstration.

The students of Nalcity Merchants High School on Saturday took to the streets and marched through different streets of the town and held a protest rally in front of the PDB office demanding more power supply in the town.

The demonstrators in the meeting said life has become miserable due to power failure in the name of load shedding. They warned that they will launch a bigger movement unless the power situation is improved.