Prime Minister’s Information and Broadcasting adviser Dr Zahed Ur Rahman has said that some load-shedding is now taking place in Dhaka as the government has moved away from the policy of keeping the capital completely free of power cuts.

He made the remarks at a press conference on the progress of various government activities at the Information Department’s conference room at the Secretariat on Tuesday.

Zahed said the gas shortage is key reason behind power crisis. He expressed hope that the current situation would improve once gas supplies improve.

Load-shedding also occurred during the Awami League government, but Dhaka was kept almost entirely free of power cuts because people in the capital had a stronger voice and greater social capital, he added.

As Dhaka is the country’s largest city and the centre of major economic activity, it may receive some priority in power supply, he said. However, the idea that the capital should remain completely free of load-shedding needs to be abandoned.

“Everyone in Dhaka will also have to accept some degree of power shortage,” he said, adding that the capital could receive some priority because of its greater economic activity, but the notion that there would be no load-shedding in Dhaka needs to change.