The Power Division is fearing sabotage in the power plants and sub-stations for transmission and distribution, especially in the northern region of the country, due to the ongoing political unrest.
“We have asked the local administrations to increase vigilance at the power plants and sub-stations and not to go on leave, except unavoidable circumstances, until the political unrest ends,” a high official of Power Division said, seeking anonymity.
The Power Division recently sent letters to the Ministry of Home Affairs, all the divisional commissioners, deputy commissioners and superintendents of police seeking protection and to prevent possible sabotage, he added.
As the northern region is known to be a strong den of Jamaat-Shibir activists, officials fear that the possibility of sabotage there would be higher.
At present, the country has a total of 92 power plants and 1,055 sub-stations, of which 129 are grid sub-stations and the rest are distribution sub-stations.
If even a handful of power plants go down in an attack, the disruption of operation will affect the entire country's power supply, sources said. Similarly, any damage to sub-stations will put their coverage areas off power supply for days as repair work takes time, they said.
“Usually there are units of army soldiers deployed at large power stations. But in the current situation, when petrol bomb attacks are regular occurrences during the blockade and hartal, we are very concerned that the possibility and risk of the secret attacks have significantly increased,” Md Nurul Alam, managing director of Ashuganj Power Station Company Ltd, told the Dhaka Tribune.
“Power plants are sensitive areas; even a seemingly harmless accident can cause a disaster. So we need to cautious in this situation,” he said.
Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) Chairman Moin Uddin said the authorities concerned had asked for support from the local administrations to ensure security at 72 Palli Bidyut Samitys (rural electricity association) and their sub-stations.
Power Development Board (PDB) Chairman Shahinul Islam Khan said security had been increased at large power plants and sub-stations. “We alerted the chief engineers and executive engineers stationed at the power plants in this regard.”
Miscreants have recently attacked two local offices of PDB in Chittagong, Bogra and Sirajganj districts.
Also, police and BGB members recently arrested several persons, including BNP and Jamaat-Shibir activists and recovered huge amount of explosives in Chittagong. The arrestees confessed to having plotted to attack the 100-megawatt Peaking Power Plant and grid sub-station at Hathazari upazila in the district, sources at police said.
On February 28, 2013, some 2,000 Jamaat-Shibir activists carried out an arson attack on a substation of Chapainawabganj Palli Bidyut Samity at Kansat of Shibganj upazila, immediately after the International Crimes Tribunal 1 sentenced Jamaat leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee to death for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
The destruction of the Palli Bidyut Samity office in Shibganj, Chapainawabganj alone bled the power sector of financial loss worth around Tk200 crore.