Rangabali, an isolated upazila located 40 kilometres away from Patuakhali Sadar Upazila, witnessed an economic boom after getting electricity supply.
Having power supply to remote Rangabali upazila was once a distant dream for the local people. But now it is a reality. Lifestyle of the locals has improved thanks to electricity.
Electricity reached this upazila of the coastal district in November 2021 thanks to the submarine cable from Bhola district.
The upazila has undergone a massive development due to power supply. A good many mills and factories have been set up in the upazila and a new avenue of business has opened in this area.
Locals said Rangabali upazila is a home to around one lakh people. Their livelihood mainly depends on fishing. Of the total population, 14,000 are involved in fishing.
Once fish traders had to bring ice from at least a 15 kilometre distance to preserve their fish. But now there are at least six ice factories operating in this area, they added.
Besides, many rice mills are running in the area. Several electronics shops have opened in the local market. TVs, fans and refrigerators are found in almost all the tea stalls. In the summer, locals can now quench their thirst with cold beverages.
Rangabali Sadar Union Parishad (UP) Chairman Saiduzzaman Mamun said that electricity was a dream for the people of this area. Locals never thought of getting electricity supply.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has made the impossible possible in this remote area. Locals are getting all the facilities of modern life as electricity has reached every house in the area.
In the past, local people hardly went out of their homes after sunset. Low-income people used kerosene lamps while people from middle income group lit a lamp the through the means of a solar panel.
Rahat Ahmed, a motorbike driver of Rangabali, said, “Earlier, we had generators operating for a few hours at night. TV in the big shops and hotels was running on batteries. People had to watch TV with money or in exchange for buying something.”
“Solar power started getting available in the upazila in 2005. I could not even imagine that one day we will get power supply from the national grid.”
Earlier, people in the upazila used to rely on kerosene lamps. Generators were needed for irrigation, running businesses in the market, or operating shops and it would cost a lot for diesel. With the arrival of electricity, those expenses have reduced.
Fisherman Abdur Rahman from Rangabali Upazila said that fish couldn’t be preserved properly due to lack of ice, resulting in loss of fish. We had to huge losses for bringing ice from afar.
“Now fish business is thriving here. Many people have swift to fish business like him,’ he added.
He said watermelon is a major cash crop in the upazila. We had to depend on underground water for cultivation of watermelon and other crops. Irrigation facilities due to power supply has positively impacted watermelon cultivation, he added.
Md Boni Amin, a businessman of Baher Char Bazar in Rangabali Sadar Upazila, said, “We could never believe that electricity would reach our area one day. Several electronics showrooms opened here due to power supply. Lifestyle of the people has improved significantly. We would use solar power in a few houses. Most houses had kerosene lamps. Now everyone is getting electricity at a low cost. Job opportunities have also been created thanks to power supply.”
Khokon who sells tea in front of the Upazila Parishad office told the Bangladesh Post that he would run his shop by lighting a lamp with the help of a solar panel. Now I have set up a TV and refrigerator shop. My income has also increased.
Mizanur Rahman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Rangabali, said electricity was our dream. After arrival of electricity here, electricity-based businesses have expanded. New job opportunities are being created here, investments are being made.
In 2012, Rangabalit island was designated as an upazila. Covering an area of 500 square kilometers, Rangabali upazila is bounded by the Bay of Bengal to the south, the Agunmukha river to the north, the Buragaurang river to the east, and the Ravanabad river to the west.
Rangabali Upazila was established in 2012. The electrification project in the upazila began in 2020. Work on the project was completed within 14 months. Currently, 25,358 people are using electricity in various areas, including the Upazila Sadar, Char Montaz, Chalitabunia, Char Kajal, Char Bishwas, and Choto Baishdia. Electricity has reached 104 villages in six remote unions of the upazila. An expenditure of Tk 260 crore been incurred for this purpose.
According to the Rural Electrification Board (REB), a 10-megawatt powersubstation has been installed in Gahinkhali, a union of Choto Baishdia, to connect to the national grid. Electricity reaches this upazila through an 11 KV submarine cable, covering a distance of 5.38 kilometers via the Galachipa and Buragaurang (Tetilia) rivers. More than 1,200 kilometers of operational lines have been set up across the entire upazila.
