Rajshahi June 22 - The sole solar power plant in Char Ashariadah Union, across the Padma River in Godagari Upazila, Rajshahi, has been shut down. Without prior notice, the plant was suddenly turned off on Thursday. As a result, 25,000 people from 1,300 families in this Indian-bordering char are now plunged into darkness and suffering.
 
About nine years ago, the private organization Ava established the solar power plant in Char Ashariadah with technical assistance from the government's Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL). The plant was named the Ava Mini-Grid Project. On Thursday, this grid was shut down without any prior announcement.
 
Shafiqul Islam, a resident of Char Kanapara village, said, "Initially, the plant provided electricity 24 hours a day. For the past two years, it was only supplying electricity for one hour during Juhur prayers, 30 minutes during Asr prayers, from Maghrib prayers until 10 pm, and from midnight to 2 am. This barely kept the fridge running. From Thursday, it has completely stopped. There were about 50 kg of meat in the fridge. We are cooking it now, but I am not sure if it will be edible."
 
Officials stated that the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) provided incentives for setting up this plant, while IDCOL offered technical assistance. IDCOL also conducted a survey through a private firm, which had projected that Ava could earn a profit of Tk 1.5 million per month from the plant. However, the plant has not yet seen any profit. Despite providing electricity for six to seven hours daily, the plant incurred monthly losses of around Tk 100,000, totaling several crore taka in losses over time.
 
Reportedly, Millat Hossain has been working as the plant manager of the Ava Mini-Grid Project since its inception, along with two other employees. On Thursday, Millat Hossain resigned from his Tk 48,000, job and shut down the plant. When contacted, he said, "The demand is 120 kilowatts, but we could only supply 60 kilowatts. That’s why I shut down the plant and left."
 
Regarding this issue, Nesco's Executive Director (Engineering), Mohammad Shahid Hossain, said, "Solar power is not a permanent solution. It won’t last forever. The government prioritized providing electricity to remote areas, so Nesco offered various support to Ava for free. However, bringing electricity across the river via submarine cables is not easy. We need to discuss Ava's solar power shutdown with the authorities before making any decisions on this matter."
 
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