Power Development Board (PDB) has been implementing a mega project in Rajshahi division involving more than Taka 964.16 crore to ensure a safe and dependable power supply together with meeting the increasing demand for electricity till 2025.
PDB sources said the four and half-year project styled “Power Distribution Management Development, Rajshahi Zone” is being implemented in Rajshahi City and 16 upazilas of all eight districts under the division since July 2015.
The project intends to improve distribution system along with capacity enhancement of the distribution zone coupled with supplying power uninterruptedly, said Engineer Abdul Aziz, director of the project.
Upon its successful implementation by December 2019, the mega scheme will contribute a lot to meeting the gradually mounting power demand besides reducing system loss.
It will also help reducing existing load shedding caused by the prevailing power system weakness in the zone comprising 60 upazilas covering 16,493 square-kilometer areas with around 21.7 million people. In the recent time, a large number of new rice mills, cold-storages, poultry farms and agro-based industries was established in the region.
Besides, big shopping malls, trade centres and large number of educational institutions are functioning. An export processing zone has been set in Pabna. The establishments have created a huge demand for power supply.
Engineer Aziz says the project has provision of installing seventeen 33/11 KV new substations and upgradation and renovation of existing 27 others. “We are constructing 1299-kilometer new distribution lines side by side with renovating 1714-kilometer existing lines,” he added. Under the project, requisite number of office buildings, substation buildings, boundary wall, internal roads and drains will be constructed.
He told BSS that construction of a number of picking power plants, independent power plants and rental electricity centres is progressing fastin the region.
Distribution of generated power from the plants and centres could be possible through the newly installed distribution lines under the project.
Fifty-one percent implementation work on the project was completed, he added. As a whole, the project will enormously supplement the government vision of supplying power to all houses and establishments by 2021, Engineer Aziz expected.
Canal water irrigation contributes
transplanted Aman paddy in Barind
Another report from Rajshahi adds : Canal water irrigation has been contributing transplanted aman paddy in the high Barind tract.
Gausul Islam, 50, a farmer of Paharpur village under Godgari Upazila of the district, said during the rainless condition, the farmers transplanted paddy and subsequently protected it through using irrigation water from the nearby Godagari canal. “I have cultivated paddy on 15 bigha of land. Now, I am totally depended on the canal water for transplanting and protecting the growing crop,” Islam added.
Golam Hossain, 42, another farmer of Shibpur village under Tanore Upazila, protected his paddy on five bigha of land from the rainless condition after using water from Shibpur canal. He said canal water has become blessing for many farmers in terms of surviving their transplanted paddy.
Another farmer Monsur Rahman, 47, of Bangsidhar village under the same upazila has brought ten bigha of land under transplanted aman paddy cultivation through using water from a nearby re-excavated canal.
Like them, around 7,500 other farmers cultivated paddy and other seasonal crops and vegetables on 6,260 bigha of lands this season using canal water in 11 dry areas where conventional irrigation facilities have become ineffective due to water-scarce condition.
In addition to construction of five check dams, 4.85-kilometer canals were re-excavated with initiative of a development project titled “Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)” with the main thrust of protecting crops from any drought like situation. Union Parishad (UP) and respective community extended five percent contribution each to the venture.
