'We don’t want schedules, we want electricity'

This year we celebrated the inauguration of the mighty Padma bridge as a symbol of development in Bangladesh. Within a month of this opening event we are now going back to area-based load-shedding due to lack of gas supply. This is deplorable. We cannot have flamboyant celebrations of development in the transport sector and, at the same time, go backwards to worse days in the energy sector. 

Our prime minister mentioned how Bangladesh is doing relatively well in the food sector compared to even some developed countries during inflation. Addressing the energy crisis the prime minister said she will consider making a schedule beforehand to keep people informed about the load shedding. Between all the talk of creating a digital Bangladesh, it is surprising how even in 2022 uninterrupted electricity supply has not yet become the norm. While the idea of having a schedule known to all about when they are about to lose power is better than not knowing, it is still not enough to be grateful about. 

We have come a long way since the days of continuous load shedding. But now, with so many people working online, or remotely, and almost all corporate jobs and graduate-level education requiring the internet and electricity, we cannot settle for anything less than uninterrupted electricity. 

Angshubarti Gupta, Pabna College.