State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid inaugurated the Golden Jubilee celebrations on the occasion of 50th anniversary of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
He inaugurated the program on Tuesday by flying balloons and pigeons on the roof verandah adjacent to the chairman's office of Bidyut Bhaban. After the victory, the state minister cut a cake for the golden jubilee. Senior officials, including members of Beauvoir, were present.
Speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural function State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dissolved WAPDA in 1972 to form Bangladesh Power Development Board. He realised at that time that in order to make Bangladesh a developed country, the power sector had to be separated. The power sector, which started with a capacity of 500 MW at that time, has now surpassed 25,000 MW.
Referring to this day as a historic day, the state minister said that the PDB officials and employees have been performing a great service for the last 50 years. PDB has successfully crossed 50 years today because they have succeeded in their work. He said that this improvement in the power sector in the country has been possible due to the foresight, courage and timely decision of the Prime Minister. He urged the BPDB to bring more diversification in power generation and distribution system in the coming days.
BPDB Chairman Engineer Md Mahbubur Rahman said, “We have had a very difficult time in the last 50 years. We want to survive, improve and expand on our own merits. We want to ensure improvement and solidarity with our work, with our skills in healthy competition. This 50-year-old institution started its journey after independence as the driving force of all development under the leadership of Bangabandhu, and later also contributed as a think tank in the expanding power sector in the hands of Prime Minister.”
The chairman said that the staff of PDB would continue their efforts to uphold the dignity of this organization created by Bangabandhu and would fulfill their responsibility towards the people of the country with utmost devotion. He sought the cooperation of all in this endeavor and said that the Minister of State for Power and policy makers have shown us the way in the past and we hope that it will continue in the future as well so that we can use our skills properly. Later, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid MP and BUBO Chairman Engineer Md Md. Mahbubur Rahman answered various questions of the journalists.
At the same time, the state minister for power said, "Our next challenge will be to maintain uninterrupted power supply at affordable prices." The government is working towards that goal.
Several large power plants will come into production in the future. If these centers start generating electricity, it will be possible to supply electricity at affordable prices. Regarding the increase in the price of electricity, the chairman of BUBO said that the decision on the price has to be taken by combining many factors. He expressed hope that the price of electricity would remain at a tolerable level.
