Innovative Eid Tour Under the Guise of Monitoring Load Shedding!

Bypassing the traditional yearning to return home for the holidays, power sector officials have mastered a magical strategy to transform their Eid journey into a "government-sponsored package." They are heading to their home districts on official tours under the pretext of observing the "real situation of electricity load shedding."

To name one official is Md. Masudur Rahman Masud, Senior Assistant Secretary of the Power Division. He is traveling to Kurigram, his birthplace. However, ground-level data presents a completely different picture. According to the Kurigram-Lalmonirhat Palli Bidyut Samity, there has been no sign of load shedding in the area for over a week. Where there is no darkness at all, this official is going to witness "shedding on top of the load." Like Masudur Rahman, several officials from the Power Division are heading home for the Eid holidays this time. Moreover, these trips are designated as official tours. Their purpose is to observe the local electricity situation. When contacted over the phone regarding this matter, Masudur Rahman Masud told Agamir Somoy that he is not alone; several other officials have been tasked with visiting their respective regions during this Eid to inspect the power situation. He claimed that this is a combined official and personal trip.

However, the official order explicitly mentions it as a government tour. The exact number of officials embarking on such trips could not be confirmed immediately. The Power Division issued an office order regarding this matter on May 23. The order was signed by Masudur Rahman himself. The order states that he will travel to observe the real situation of uninterrupted power supply during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays. Additionally, he will inspect the load shedding situation on-site and submit a report to the Power Division. Md. Shamim Parvez, General Manager (Current Charge) of Kurigram-Lalmonirhat Palli Bidyut Samity, stated, "There has been no significant load shedding in the area for the past one or one and a half weeks. However, power disruptions occur occasionally due to storms and rain." According to the tour itinerary, Masudur Rahman will leave Dhaka for Kurigram by road on Tuesday at 9:00 AM and stay there for the day. The following day, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM, he will exchange views with officials of the Kurigram-Lalmonirhat Palli Bidyut Samity and inspect various areas of Kurigram district. Following that, there are no scheduled activities for the next two days, which include the day of Eid and the day after. On May 30 at 10:00 AM, he is scheduled to conduct an on-site inspection of various areas in Lalmonirhat district and stay there overnight. There are no programs scheduled for May 31. The next day, on June 1, he will depart from Kurigram for Dhaka at 9:00 AM. The order specifies that this is an official tour and has been issued by the order of the appropriate authority.