Power Shortage Sparks Protest in Jamalpur

Hundreds of electricity consumers staged a protest and laid siege to a local power distribution centre in Madarganj upazila of Jamalpur late on Sunday night, expressing anger over prolonged load-shedding and frequent power outages that have disrupted daily life across the area. The demonstration lasted for several hours before police and officials from the Rural Electrification Board intervened to restore order.

According to local residents and police, several hundred aggrieved consumers gathered at around 10:00 pm outside the electricity distribution centre in the Purbapara area of the Madarganj upazila headquarters. Protesters accused the authorities of failing to ensure a stable electricity supply despite repeated complaints about worsening power cuts.

As tensions escalated, some demonstrators reportedly attempted to vandalise parts of the facility. Officers from Madarganj Police Station quickly arrived at the scene after receiving information about the incident. Shortly afterwards, Farzana Yasmin, Deputy General Manager (DGM) of the Madarganj Zonal Office under the Rural Electrification Society, also reached the site and held discussions with the protesters, helping to bring the situation under control.

Several demonstrators, speaking on condition of anonymity, said residents throughout the upazila have been enduring severe load-shedding and repeated, unannounced power interruptions for an extended period. They claimed that the unreliable electricity supply has caused widespread hardship for households, disrupted business activities, and made it increasingly difficult to cope with the prevailing hot weather.

They also expressed concern about the impact on students preparing for the upcoming Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations. Frequent evening and nighttime power cuts, they said, have significantly hampered study schedules, leaving many candidates struggling to prepare adequately during a crucial period of the academic year. Protesters argued that these persistent difficulties ultimately prompted them to organise the blockade of the electricity centre.

Confirming the incident, DGM Farzana Yasmin said several hundred people had gathered outside the facility and surrounded it for some time before officials and police managed to defuse the situation. She acknowledged that consumers were frustrated by the ongoing electricity crisis but explained that the problem stemmed from a severe shortfall in power supply rather than local operational failures.

According to the official, Madarganj currently requires between 17 and 18 megawatts of electricity to meet consumer demand. However, the area is receiving only around 7 megawatts from the grid, leaving the local distribution authority with less than half of the electricity needed. As a result, scheduled and unscheduled load-shedding has become unavoidable in order to distribute the limited supply across different parts of the upazila.

She added that the matter would be raised with higher authorities in an effort to secure additional electricity allocation and reduce the frequency of load-shedding. Until supply improves, however, officials say maintaining uninterrupted electricity service across the entire upazila will remain a significant challenge.

The protest highlights growing public frustration over power shortages, particularly as high temperatures increase electricity demand and students prepare for one of Bangladesh’s most important public examinations. Residents are now hoping that authorities will take swift measures to improve electricity availability and ease the hardships faced by consumers.