The BNP will hold an hour-long sit-in programme in front of all the district offices of the Power Division across the country on June 8 to protest the ongoing loadshedding and 'corruption' in the power sector. Besides, the party will also submit a memorandum to the district power offices on the same day. BNP's Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme on Tuesday at a press conference at the party's Nayapaltan central office. Also Read: People suffer as severe load shedding continues countrywide He said the programme was worked out at a meeting of their party’s standing committee, the highest policy-making body, on Monday night. “A sit-in program will be observed from 11am to 12pm in front of the power office at the district headquarters on June 8 and a memorandum will be submitted there in protest against the unbearable loadshedding and massive corruption in the power sector,” the BNP leader said. Also Read: Imagine if electricity generation capacity were still 3000 MW like in BNP-Jamaat govt period: Nasrul Hamid He said people are going through unbearable suffering due to terrible power outages across the country. "In villages and towns, people get electricity for one or two hours in 24 hours. People are experiencing loadshedding for five-six hours during the day as well.” The BNP leader also said power is also not available in the capital for more than 3/4 hours every day. He alleged that the government looted thousands of crores of taka in the name of quick rental power projects and subsidies for the power sector.  “Their (govt) fraudulence is now clearly exposed before the people through the rampant loadshedding.” Also Read; Sylhet BNP expels 43 leaders for contesting city polls “The Awami government has committed a criminal offence by creating scope for looting in the power sector. The indemnity law has been enacted to legitimize looting in the power sector. That is why those involved in these quick-rental projects should be arrested. They’re the biggest enemies of the people,” the BNP leader said. He condemned the attack at on the peaceful road march programme of Ganatantra Mancha in Bogura.    

The country’s power generation increased further, setting a new record on Tuesday with the production reaching 15,626 MW at 9 pm on night. According to a statement of the Power Division, the country set the new record surpassing the previous production of 15,604 MW at 9 pm on Monday. Officials at the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), said the resting of operation of the diesel-fired and gas fired more power plants attributed to this new record. They also said import of power from the Adani Power-built thermal power plant for Bangladesh also played a role in this regard. The country has started importing about 759 MW from Indian Adani Group’s Godda power plant in Jharkhand. Read more: Power generation rises to 15,304 MW setting new record They said the cost of the imported power from Adani Group’s power plant at Godda in the Indian state of Jharkhand has not been settled yet, but officials said the tariff of electricity from Adani Group might be above Tk 14 per unit while average production cost is below Tk 7. Now Bangladesh’s installed grid power generation capacity is over 25,000 MW.  

BNP on Saturday alleged that the county’s people are going through suffering caused by frequent power outages due to ‘mega’ corruption and plundering by the government. “Bangladesh has now the capacity to generate much more power than it needs. But why loadshedding are occurring now? The reason behind is mega corruption and theft,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir. Speaking at a public rally, he alleged that thousands of crores of taka have been paid to 10 companies as capacity charges though they did not produce any power since the government signed such deals with quick-rental and other power plants. Also read: BNP slams govt for anarchy on roads Dhaka South City unit BNP arranged the rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club protesting the ongoing loadshedding, mismanagement in the energy sector and the hikes in fuel and gas prices. Fakhrul said a fund was created taking surcharge from people for offshore gas exploration. “It’s alarming that the government has taken around 25,00 crores taka from that fund to buy gas (from abroad). “This is another trickery and robbery.” He alleged that on the one hand, the ruling party leaders siphoned off thousands of crores of taka abroad in the name of electricity production, on the other hand, the Awami League-backed businessmen made huge money by importing LNG and LPG gas as fuel. “In this way, they are ruining the economy of the country.” Also read: Fuel, forex reserves may run out after power crisis: Fakhrul Referring to a media report the BNP leader said some public universities have started enrolling students before constructing their infrastructure. “It’s also alarming. You have seen the corruption in the acquisition of land for Chandpur University by the relatives of the Education Minister. Such corruption is going on everywhere.” He said the ruling party leaders are involved in all sorts of theft, robbery and misdeeds. “Their only goal is to plunder money and destroy everything in the country. The government is confusing people through the myth of development.” Fakhrul called upon the BNP leaders and activists to prepare for a one-point movement to ensure the fall of the government.