Even than after getting the result of the research, The Prime Minister, agriculture minister, and foreign minister point out it in their parliament’s speech. However, those groups of expert and opposition are now not that much vocal against the rental electricity as they were earlier; even they are not telling anything about electricity in this Ramadan. But government has no scope to be happy by that, those group of expert and opposition have stopped their mouth about electricity and they have no scope to poke the government about shortage of electricity. Now, the big challenge for the government is how they will maintain this electricity and how they will continue the development of the country, which has, generated by this time.
l by Swadesh Roy
(09 August, 2012, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) After a long time Bangladesh is passing a Ramadan with less load shedding; but a few months ago load shedding was regular and intolerable in our city life even country side . Finance minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhith said to the press last year , `we can give a good news about electricity at the end of 2013’.This Ramadan is indicating that, country is going towards the way of that good news which was forecast by honorable finance minister. According to the power development board, the present government has produced 3100 mega watt electricity within last three years; production of this electricity is a great achievement for a government. It is for the first time in this country that, a government has generated 3100 mega watt electricity within three years. But few days ago government had to face heavily criticism by a group of expert and the opposition for producing this electricity. Criticism war of those critics was so sharp that, some of the person of the government started to think that, they have made a mistake to produce electricity. Government was in a dilemma, because they have to give subsidy to produce electricity so they were thinking that, it is a wrong decision to give the financial assistance to producing electricity. A group of expert and the opposition was always telling this subsidy is a fugitive for the economy of the country. Even then a portion of media was giving this type of opinion. However, no one was thinking that, if you generate electricity it will help your economy and economic production in a geometrically ratio and it helps your economy in all diversities. Government side was totally run off about the economical impact for the generation of this new 3100 mega watt electricity. Government did not engage any researcher to research that, what is the contribution of 3100 mega watt electricity in the total economy. However, business leader and the former president of the Bangladesh federation of the chamber Mr. Annisul Huq has organized a research. In that research shows that, according to the data of the World Bank, impact of this 3100 mega watt electricity in the GDP of the economy of Bangladesh is 112,550-core taka. This research shows that, for this electricity garment sector has earned by exporting extra 48,750-core taka besides that new employments in the export sector are 7 Lac people. Impact of this electricity in the agricultural sector is 38,500 core taka. It is totally more than 1.5 Lac core take. On the other hand government has to give subsidy in the rental electricity is only 16,600 core taka.
So now, it is understandable that, in electricity sector government has done a good job and its result is getting the whole economy now. Even than after getting the result of the research, The Prime Minister, agriculture minister, and foreign minister point out it in their parliament’s speech. However, those groups of expert and opposition are now not that much vocal against the rental electricity as they were earlier; even they are not telling anything about electricity in this Ramadan. But government has no scope to be happy by that, those group of expert and opposition have stopped their mouth about electricity and they have no scope to poke the government about shortage of electricity. Now, the big challenge for the government is how they will maintain this electricity and how they will continue the development of the country, which has, generated by this time.
Now government of Bangladesh is generating more than 5000 mega watt electricity. On the basis of this electricity many industries will be developed even than the latest situation is that, Bangladesh has entered into the mechanical agricultural production system. Paddy farming has been started by the automatic instruments. So every sector is going to run by the electricity and it will increase day by day. There are more 1500 mega watt electricity is in the pipe line which will go to production within one year; that is also small scale power plant. However, government has started to set up coal based big power plant. It is obvious that, to set up a coal based power plant will take time because; government is not clear where from the coal will be supplied to the power plants. Bangladesh has a huge quantity of coal but government not decided yet how they will lift up the coal from the coalmine. The clay of Bangladesh is so soft, besides that rain continues for a long time in the year so underground lifting system is to some extent dangerous for our country. Landslide can be a regular incident in the coalmine and casualty can be happened regularly. So, most of the experts of the country think for an open mining system but there is road agitation group against it. They have a opportunity for road agitation that, people of this soil love land more than industry; even a group of our intellectual also love land than industry. So people of that area will fight for their land, if government go to mining by open mine system. That’s why government has taken the decision that, they will import coal. Coal importing is a huge job. If government set up more than two or three coal based electric plants, they have to import a large number of coals. Chittagong and Mongla port of Bangladesh now are not in that position; many facilities have to develop there. So to set up coal based big power plant government has to develop its ports and they have to take a firm decision about the coal of the country. Besides that, government has another opportunity to set up gas based big power plant but these both will take time. Because Bangladesh will get huge quantity of gas from the sea; it will obviously take time. On the other hand to deal country’s own coal and importing coal both will take time. So people of Bangladesh can think that, if the present government continues next tenure or their program continues; big power plant will be set up in this country. That’s a matter of near future but in the mean time country’s electricity production will reach near 7000 mega watt because government is overhauling the old plants. So country will get huge amount of electricity by the overhauling the old plants.
It is reality, when electricity generation will increase, setting up of industry will be increasing simultaneously even household users will be increased. So there is no scope to back out the generation of electricity. An important thing is arisen now that, the time limit of rental power plant will be over within two or three years. If according to the time limit these rental power plants close then country, will lose more than 2000 mega watt electricity. It is understandable, if country loses 2000 mega watt electricity it will be an earthquake for the country because huge number of user will lose their connection of electricity and a lot of factories will be closed; besides that more than 15 to 20 Lac people will lose their job directly and the losing of this job will affect more 50 Lac people. Its total negative impact will be more than 1 Lac core in the GDP because we have seen in the research in the Annisul Huq that, positive impact in the GDP of 3100 Mega watt electricity is more than 1.5 Lac core taka. That is why if country lose 2000 mega watt electricity its negative impact might be 1 Lac core taka in the GDP of the country. So government has no way to lose this 2000 mega watt electricity; therefore they have to take a firm decision how they can continue these rental power plants. In spite of all financial assistance, government has to realize that, this electricity is giving more in economy of the country.
Swadesh Roy, Executive Editor, The Daily Janakantha, Dhaka, Bnagladesh, he can be reached at swadeshroy@gmail.com
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