16 Hours of Daily Load Shedding: SSC Examinees in Severe Distress

Frequent and prolonged load shedding by rural electricity authorities has severely disrupted daily life in Matlab North upazila of Chandpur district.

Locals claim that out of 24 hours, electricity is unavailable for nearly 16 hours a day. Even when power is supplied, it lasts only for short periods of 15-20 minutes, adding to the hardship. Students preparing for the upcoming SSC and Dakhil examinations are the worst affected.

Chairman of Islamabad Union Md. Al Amin said, “I am also a Palli Bidyut consumer. For the last one month, there has been no electricity during the day, and even at night it comes only for a short time. Students in my area are suffering the most. Guardians are coming to the union council seeking solutions, but we have no authority to fix the power issue.”

Locals alleged that even when there are problems in lines or transformers, repairs are not done quickly. Complaints to the complaint centre also go unanswered.

Shamim Hossain, a resident of Sujatpur area, said, “Earlier the power supply was reasonably good. But now the situation is extremely bad. For several days, we have not been able to use electricity continuously. In reality, there is no power for about 16 hours a day.”

Fahima Akter, a 10th-grade student, said, “Our SSC exam starts on 21 April. But for the last two months, the power crisis has been so severe that studying at night is almost impossible. If there was at least one or two hours of continuous electricity at night, we could prepare better. Now we have to study using torches.”

The same complaint was echoed by other students in the area.

General Manager of Chandpur Palli Bidyut Samity-2, Mohammad Abu Raihan, acknowledged the situation. He said, “In Matlab North upazila, less electricity is allocated from the grid compared to demand. As a result, we can supply only 40-45% of the required power on average. So 55-60% of the time there is load shedding. There is no alternative.”

Locals have urged the authorities concerned to take immediate steps for improving the power situation and ensuring uninterrupted supply.