Agitated residents staged a protest and besieged the local electricity office in Barguna on Monday, demanding a 24‑hour uninterrupted power supply to end persistent load‑shedding.
Organised under the banner of the Barguna District Citizens’ Rights Conservation Committee, the protest began around 10am in front of the West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL) office.
The demonstration started with a procession from the Barguna Press Club and ended with a human chain on the road leading to the power office.
Students, local businessmen and citizens from various professions joined the protest. Demonstrators besieged the office and chanted slogans against frequent power outages. Speakers said repeated load‑shedding had made public life miserable.
“We do not want to hear excuses about technology or power grids,” they said, adding that their only demand was a 24‑hour electricity supply regardless of the source.
Protesters further noted that the electricity crisis has affected the district’s economy. At the Patharghata BFDC landing centre, the country’s second‑largest fish landing hub, inadequate power supply has severely disrupted ice production, leaving thousands of fishermen and traders facing heavy financial losses.
Monir Hossain Kamal, president of the Citizens’ Rights Conservation Committee, presented a seven‑point charter of demands during the rally.
He warned that if the demands were not met and a permanent solution to the electricity crisis was not found within seven days, protesters would lock the WZPDCL office.
Later, a representative team submitted a memorandum containing the demand list to the prime minister through local officials.
