The programmes were organised by Palli Bidyut Grahak Sangram Samity, a newly formed civic body. The upazilas are under the command area of Gaiabandha Rural Electrification Association.

The protest meeting held at Dariyapur Bazar was addressed by, among others, Sangram Committee Convener Hasan Mahmud Siddique, Ahsanul Habib Sayeed, Kabir Mondal, Mihir Ghosh, Aminuzzaman Rinku, Sultan Ahmed, Sontosh Barman and Ali Ahsan.

They said, apart from creating sufferings to people, the frequent power outage is affecting operation of small mills and factories, household units like poultry farms and agriculture in rural areas.

According to sources in the Rural Electrification Association, there are about 41,900 consumers in six upazilas in Gaibandha district. Every day, it needs 15 MW power electricity but only 6 MW during day time and 2 MW at night.

Consumers in rural areas alleged that on an average, they get power supply hardly for 3-4 hours a day. Power goes several times in a day, and they have to spend most of the nights without electricity, they said.