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Erratic power supply continues to vex thousands of power consumers under Lalmonirhat-Kurigram Palli Bidyut Samity.
   Frequent load-shedding has made the power subscribers in Lalmonirhat annoyed and they are now disappointed about having Palli Bidyut connections in their houses and shops.
   People’s sufferings in the district have increased in recent days due to power outages that hamper industrial as well as household works.
   Atul Roy,45, a residence of village Mohishkhocha under Aditmari upazila in Lalmonirhat alleged, ‘Frequent load-shedding by Palli Bidyut has turned into a nagging pain for us as we don’t get electricity at the time of extreme need.’
   ‘We, like all other families in the village, continue to face untold sufferings for the situation,’ he added.
   Babul Hossain,32, a dweller of Mohendra Nagar under Lalmonirhat sadar upazila said,
   ‘We the subscribers of Palli Bidyut don’t get electricity supply properly although we pay the bills duly.’
   ‘Palli Bidyut has failed to supply power as per our demand. Power outages have become a regular phenomenon in the district. We experience 14 to 16 hours of load shedding a day regularly, even 20 hours sometimes,’ he added.
   According to sources in Lalmonirhat- Kurigram Palli Bidyut Samity, they supply electricity to five upazilas of Lalmonirhat and eight upazilas of Kurigram.
   The total number of power subscribers in 588 villages under the 13 upazilas is 82,000.
   The PBS supplies power through 22 feeders under six substations through 2,805 km electricity lines.
   At present, the demand of the PBS at peak-hours is 18megawatts a day and 13megawats at off-peak hours.
   But the PBS can supply only five mw a day against the demand.
   Sometimes, the supply comes down to four mw.
   The result is load-shedding in every feeder for 12 hours a day.
   This lays an adverse impact on power-based spinning mills, cold storages and rice mills.
   As a result, production in the mills and factories has come down and trade and commerce are facing setbacks.
   Junior Assistant Manager of Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, Lalmonirhat unit, Sajedul Islam said, ‘This grid supplies power to Lalmonirhat-Kurigram PDB and Palli Bidyut Samity through three feeders.
   Of the total supply, 45 per cent is given to Lalmonirhat PDB and 22 per cent to Kurigram PDB and the rest 33 per cent to Palli Bidyut.
   The demand of the grid is 24 mw at peak hours and 18 mw at off-peak hours. At present, the supply of power against the demand from the national grid is 15 mw at peak hours and 12 mw at off-peak hours.
   Power consumers in Lalmonirhat demanded that the authority should ensure uninterrupted electricity supply for at least 18 to 20 hours regularly, otherwise the PBS connections will come of no use for them.

The seventh anniversary of death of Ela Mitra, passed on Tuesday (October,13) in Sailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah without seeing any programmes held in commemoration of the legendary peasants movement organiser of the Indian subcontinent.
   The firebrand leader, Ela Mitra, who was born to an upper middleclass family in Kolkata on October 18, 1925, led the famous Tebhaga movement, a militant campaign initiated in Bengal by the Kisan Sabha (peasants front of the Communist Party of India) in 1946.
   No political parties, leftist or rightist, took up any programmes to pay homage to this leader who suffered torture and got life term imprisonment for her leading role in protecting interests of peasants as well as indigenous Santhals in the south-western region during the then East Pakistan period.
   Her paternal house at village Bagutia in Sailkupa upazila, 40 kilometres away from Jhenaidah town, now lies in ruins and partly in others’ possession.
   People in the area are now almost oblivious of this altruistic lady who dedicated herself to protecting the rights of the downtrodden.
   Asked about her house, some villagers said they only knew that this house had belonged to a female rebel.
   Visiting the house of Ela Mitra recently, this correspondent found sons of one Hazi Kiam Uddin living there.
   One of them, Ali Hossain, said they had purchased seven acres of land including the building belonging to Ela’s family. He could not give any further detail.
    Another person Abdul Khalek, of village Bagutai, said, ‘Several hundred acres of her ancestral land are under illegal occupation in the area.’
   Swapan Kumar, district general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said they will observe Ela’s death anniversary this year through a simple function later.

A group of miscreants hacked a young man to death in Jhenidah sadar upazila Saturday night.
   This incident took place at Karimpur village under sadar upazila. The victim was identified as Md Alamgir, 28, son of Afsar Ali of Karimpur village under sadar upazila.
   The police, quoting family members, said Alamgir had gone out of the house after having meal Saturday night. Since then he did not return. Locals found his body lying in a field at village Karimpur Sunday afternoon.
   The officer-in-charge of Jhenidah sadar police station suspects the killing of Alamgir might have link with the murder of Channu at the same village in 2007.

The annual election to the executive committee of the Satkhira Press Club was held at the club’s auditorium in the town on Saturday.
   Professor Abu Ahmed, of the Daily Star, and Md Kamruzzaman, of ATN Bangla and UNB, have been elected president and general secretary respectively of the executive body for the tenure 2009-2010.
   The other office-bearers are vice-president-Abdul Wazed Kochi, Inqilab, assistant secretary -Yearab Hussein, Manob Jamin, organising secretary-Sarwar Hossain, Bangla Bazar, treasurer- Abdus Sattar, Purbanchal, office secretary-Farid Ahmed Moyna, Kafela, and cultural secretary- M Iduzzaman Idrish, Kafela.

A CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver was found dead under Darikandi Bridge in Titas upazila of Comilla Sunday morning.
   The victim was Salahuddin, 32, son of Kalimuddin of Gazipur village in the upazila.
   The police, quoting victim’s family members, said Salahuddin along with his auto rickshaw went out of his house on Friday evening. But, he did not return home.
   Later, locals found his body under the bridge in the morning and informed the police of the matter.
   The police recovered the body, bearing several injury marks, and sent it to the Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. Earlier on Saturday, the police recovered the blood-stained auto rickshaw of Salahuddin from near the bridge.
   The reason for the killing could not be known immediately.