The Power Division is in a tight spot regarding the implementation of the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for fiscal 2018-19 and is in a flurry to complete it fully.

Although over the last seven fiscal years they had implemented nearly or completely 100 percent of the ADP, this time only 69 percent has been implemented while completion of the rest of the plan seems unattainable.

The power sector on an average has completed 6.9 percent of the work every month and 13.8 percent of the work was to be completed by May and June, meaning by the end of this fiscal nearly 20 percent of the plan is expected to remain unimplemented.

This is the first time the power sector might break its record and leave around 20 percent of the ADP unimplemented.

The ministry has proposed a budget allocation of Tk 260 billion for the upcoming 2019-20 fiscal year, which was Tk 238.3 billion in the last fiscal.

Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain told Bangla Tribune that all the ministries are in the same boat in the first 10 months of the 2018-19 fiscal year.

“We hope that we can spend the entire ADP allocated and show 100 percent implementation as always,” he said.

He added that all the departments are on the alert and weekly monitoring was ongoing to ensure that.

Energy expert Dr Izaz Hossain, however, is of the view that with just two months to go 100 percent ADP implementation is impossible.

“It’s extremely harmful if the work is slow the entire year and speeded up in the end to show implementation,” said the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) professor.

He added that hurried implementation work hampers both the quality of electricity and service and it’s much better to stick to a system.

Hossain said that quality should be maintained at an even if it means implementation isn’t a 100 percent.