Bangladesh Energy Crisis: Amid a deepening energy crisis, the government of Bangladesh has issued an official notification mandating that all shopping malls, commercial markets, and retail shops operate strictly between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm daily. The directive is aimed at curbing escalating electricity demand and managing nationwide power consumption.

Shops, Malls Ordered To Close By 8 PM

According to Bangladeshi news outlet The Daily Star report, the directive was issued by the Power Division on Wednesday. It stated that shops and markets can now only operate from 11:00 am to 8:00 pm. Earlier, they were allowed to stay open until 9:00 pm. The austerity measures are part of the government's effort to conserve electricity amid the ongoing power crisis.

Billboards To Be Switched Off By 7 PM

The new directive also requires all illuminated billboards to be switched off by 7:00 pm and prohibits the use of decorative lighting at all times. While these restrictions will remain in place for ongoing and upcoming fairs and cultural programmes across Bangladesh; hospitals, restaurants, hospitals and pharmacies have been exempted.

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Deepening Power Crisis

The decision is significant as Bangladesh is facing a severe energy crisis. According to a report by Dhaka Tribune, prolonged power cuts of up to 10-12 hours are disrupting daily life across the country. Shortage of fuel, including natural gas, is said to be the primary reason for outages. It is further reported that several gas-fired power plants are not able to operate at full capacity due to inadequate gas supplies. Consequently, despite having a robust infrastructure, the country remains completely unable to fully utilise its installed electricity generation capacity to meet daily demand.

Furthermore, the directive comes days after Bangladesh requested additional diesel supplies from India to help manage ongoing power and gas shortages. The development came after Indian envoy Dinesh Trivedi met Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood and exchanged views on strengthening bilateral cooperation in the power and energy sectors.

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