Bangladesh: Office, school timings rescheduled to save energy

Bangladesh is facing severe energy crisis The government is taking various steps to save energy. The government has decided to make the weekly holiday of schools and colleges for two days. This decision was taken in the virtual cabinet meeting held on Monday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.  Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam said the Ministry of Education will decide when the leave will be effective. Bangladesh  also decided to reschedule the office timings to save electricity in the country. Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam announced that all government and autonomous offices will function from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Wednesday, August 24. The banks will remain open from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m. At the same time, the schools will now have a 5-day week. The Cabinet Secretary also announced that government offices and autonomous institutions have been asked to minimise the consumption of electricity by removing curtains to allow natural light and air as well as reduce the use of air-conditioning. Khandker Anwarul Islam said that rescheduled timings will also help in reducing traffic jams by distributing the flow of vehicles during the working days.
In addition to the rescheduling of office and school timings, the Cabinet decided to ensure uninterrupted electricity in rural areas from 11pm to 6am for the next 10-15 days to help farmers irrigate their crops and cultivate Aman paddy. The new set of instructions came in line with government efforts to reduce the electricity consumption and save foreign exchange revenue in the country. Earlier, the government had directed the shops, shopping malls and kitchen markets to close by 8 p.m. to save energy. Bangladesh’s energy sector has been facing problems due to the Russia-Ukraine war, like most other countries of the world. In order to deal with the crisis, the government has introduced load-shedding again, increased fuel oil prices, and taken several initiatives to reduce electricity consumption.