Owner of a readymade garment store at Mohammadia Super Market in Sobhanbag said, "6 to 9pm in the evening is our pick sales hour. We are incurring serious loss because of the early shutdown"

Shopkeepers however hail the idea. "Our 9am to 9pm work hour was very long. It was really tiring. Now we can go home early", said one of the shopkeepers at Rifles Square.

"I could never have interaction with my kids because I used to go home very late. Now I get to see their faces when I go home", added another shopkeeper at Bashundhara City.

Child labourers are the happiest party about the early shutdown, as they will have spare time to study or play. It opens up possibilities of night shift education for hundreds of child labourers of the city.

"I am used to shopping in the evening. But I like the idea of early shutdown. I think it is more important to have electricity at home than being able to shop after dark", said Naima Akhtar a homemaker from Dhanmondi shopping at Rifles Square.

"It will also help us spend more time with family members at home. We just need to change our lifestyle ", she added.

Bithi Mahboob a resident of Dhanmondi 32 said, "In the developed world they have sufficient power generation still they shutdown malls early. We should learn to save our resources"

Nipa Khaled, owner of a handicraft store in Aziz Super Market, Shahbag said, "At home I can now spend more time designing and production of the handmade items"

A tailoring shop worker at Mohammadia Super Market however said, "We could not deliver clothes on time since our night shift production is off"

Starting from February 25, all shopping malls, markets and shops in the city is being closed down by around 7pm in accordance with the government's plan to save electricity in the evening peak-hours.

The government has taken the electricity rationing measure because of the severe power shortage.

Kitchen markets, restaurants, fast food shops, drug stores, grocery shops and small shops along lanes and by-lanes, however, remained open.

Rationing succeeded in reducing current load to some extent.

According to the DESA control room at Katabon the shutdown has saved around 60 MW electricity per day in its area, whereas DESCO central control room at Bashundhara confirms around 40 MW.

A high official from the National Load Dispatch Centre of Power Division, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources corroborated the information. He said that in Dhaka city the shutdown is saving around 100 MW per day.