Loadshedding has intensified in rural areas across the country in recent times, hitting small and medium businesses, including medical care, hard. The hatchery and poultry sector has been bearing the brunt of loadshedding while the small and cottage industries are on the verge of closure in many areas of the country.
During visit to different districts including Dinajpur, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat and Joypurhat, it was also found that young entrepreneurs are struggling to continue their business even after counting huge losses. Besides, the advancement of the IT-based freelancing and startup has run into snag.
The power distribution companies have claimed that there is no much loadshedding in big cities, including the capital, due to low temperature. But cities and rural areas experience, on average, 6 to 10 hours of loadshedding a day.
Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) senior vice president Prof M Shamsul Alam said that people in villages do not get enough electricity. “The government built power plants in an unplanned way to favour a group of people. Most of the power stations are pocketing thousands of crores of taka every year without producing electricity. That’s why people do not get enough electricity but pay high price,” he added.
Bangladesh Power Development Board member (generation) SM Wazed Ali Sarder said, “According to the demand, electricity is being supplied across the country. No loadshedding is in urban areas but there are some problems in rural areas. But this is not loadshedding, it is happening due to problem in distribution lines,” he claimed.
Hatchery and poultry sector in big trouble
Idris Ali, a poultry trader in Hatibandha upazila of Lalmonirhat district, said he set up a poultry farm at his village three years ago.
“Due to frequent load-shedding, chickens worth one and a half lakh taka have died at my farm in the last three months,” he added.
He said that there is no electricity for 7-8 hours a day. Chickens are dying due to scorching heat. Egg and chick production is disrupted.
“We are trying to carry out the business by using diesel generators. But it increases the cost of production. As a result, it becomes difficult to sustain the business,” Idris Ali said.
The traders have said the hatcheries cannot run well due to power outages. Crab processing and frozen meat exporters are in dire straits. Feroz Hossain, Manager of Jamuna Hatchery at Shyamnagar in Satkhira, said due to the use of diesel, the cost of production is increasing more than double. The industry is highly struggling due to heavy loadshedding.
Cottage and medium industries brink on the closure
The industry insiders say entrepreneurs of small and medium industries in rural areas are in dire straits due to frequent loadshedding. Many have already laid off their employees. As a result, the rural economy is slowing down.
Tota Mia (65), a winter clothes maker at Shibpur in Bogura, said that due to lack of electricity, winter clothes cannot be made properly. “Our business is extremely hampered.”
An auto rice mill trader Shahid Ahmed in Dinajpur said there is at least 7-8 hours of loadshedding during the day and night. Frequent loadshedding is destroying the machines. Employees are sitting idle. “The situation is getting worse as we are facing losses from various sides.”
It is known that the North Bengal Jute Mill in Rangpur produced an average of 3,000 pieces of sacks every day. Due to loadshedding, the production is a maximum of 1,800 pcs per day. Director of jute mill Nazmul Haque said, “250 workers used to work at the factory. Hundreds of employees have been laid off in the last six months as the production decreased.”
Using electricity, many people in rural areas have developed small businesses like computer-internet services. Due to loadshedding, such traders are now in trouble.
Mehdi Hasan, the owner of Phulbari Computers, said that photocopying, composing and printing work cannot be done properly due to lack of electricity.
Apart from this, loadshedding has dealt a blow to electric vehicles. Electric easy bike and van services in rural areas are seriously disrupted due to heavy loadshedding.
Tarajul Islam, an easy bike driver in Parbatipur upazila of Dinajpur, said most of nights there is no electricity, so it is not possible to charge easy bike.
Healthcare suffering a lot
Load-shedding has also hit the medical care in rural areas. Mohammad Sohel, who came for treatment at Chattogram's Anwara Upazila Health Complex, said over the mobile phone that he had to wait for several hours for a 10-minute x-ray due to loadshedding.
