Power outage disrupts public life in Patharghata, HSC examinees in trouble

Load shedding has taken a terrible turn in Barguna’s Patharghata upazila. Public life has been disrupted due to hours of no electricity. Fishermen, ice factory owners, businessmen and school and college students are the most affected. Especially in the context of the ongoing HSC examination, the lack of uninterrupted power is severely disrupting the studies of examinees.
Locals complain that even if there is electricity for one hour, load shedding continues for the next three to four hours. Due to the power crisis, production in the ice factories of the upazila is being severely disrupted. As a result, it is not possible to supply the necessary ice to the fishermen.
Due to the lack of sufficient ice, many fishermen are unable to go fishing in the deep sea, which is posing a risk to fish conservation. Trawler owners and fishermen are fearing major financial losses. Prolonged load shedding in this fishery-dependent upazila is also having a negative impact on the local economy. On the other hand, frequent power outages in the intense heat are disrupting the studies of students. Many are trying to continue their studies by candlelight or torchlight, but it is difficult to stay focused in the scorching heat. Parents have also expressed concern about this.
In this context, Golam Mostafa Chowdhury, president of the Barguna District Trawler Owners’ Association, said that many trawlers are unable to go to sea due to lack of sufficient ice. Trawler owners and fishermen are facing huge financial losses every day. Locals allege that a representative of a national daily was harassed when he went to the electricity office a few days ago.
Upazila BNP Joint Secretary Badiruzzaman Saheb said that currently, power supply to Patharghata comes from Bhandaria. The distance from Bhandaria to Patharghata is about 66 kilometers and there is a 33 kV power line of Mathbaria Upazila in between. Due to this long transmission system, power outages and load shedding problems often arise.
He also said that to ensure uninterrupted power in Patharghata, it is necessary to arrange for direct power supply from nearby Barguna. He expressed hope that this will greatly alleviate the long-standing power crisis and the suffering of the people. In this context, Patharghata Rural Power Deputy General Manager (DGM) Arif Shahriar said, “Power generation has decreased due to the gas crisis due to the international situation. Although there is a daily demand of about 13 megawatts of electricity in Patharghata Upazila, currently only 5 megawatts of electricity is being supplied. That is why we are forced to do load shedding. When the situation normalizes, the power supply will also become normal.”