The government has decided to introduce load shedding in the capital on a trial basis to ensure uninterrupted irrigation in the agricultural sector and reduce disparity between urban and rural areas, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Anindya Islam Amit said on Thursday.

He made these announcements while delivering a statement under Rule 300 in the Jatiya Sangsad session presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.

The state minister said the initiative aims to ensure adequate electricity supply for farmers during the ongoing irrigation season so that they are not affected.

He acknowledged that public confidence in government statements may take time to rebuild but said the government remains committed to transparency and accountability.

He also attributed the current power crisis to accumulated mismanagement of the previous administration, noting a gap between installed capacity and actual generation.

According to him, the country recorded a peak electricity demand of around 16,000 megawatts on Wednesday, against which generation stood at 14,126.35 megawatts, resulting in load shedding of about 2,086 megawatts nationwide.

To implement the Prime Minister’s directive for ensuring uninterrupted power and diesel supply for irrigation, the government has decided to introduce an initial 110 megawatts of load shedding in Dhaka on an experimental basis.

The state minister also said that against a daily demand of 3,800 million cubic feet of gas, the country is currently able to supply around 2,636 million cubic feet through domestic production and imports, leaving a shortfall of 1,164 million cubic feet.

He noted that despite having sufficient funds, a lack of infrastructure has limited the ability to increase gas imports quickly, though improvements are expected within the government’s 180-day priority plan.

He added that one imported power plant and one coal-fired plant are currently shut down for maintenance, affecting overall supply.

However, he expressed hope that the situation would improve within the next seven days once the plants resume full production.

The state minister also expressed regret for the temporary inconvenience caused to the citizen.