B'deshis block highway over electricity shortage

DHAKA, Sep 27 (Reuters) Villagers blocked a highway and residents vandalised power supply offices in Bangladesh today in the latest protest over shortages of electricity, police and witnesses said.

The highway connecting the capital with northeastern Sylhet city was barricaded for several hours before police drove away the protesters.

The power supply offices were attacked by disgruntled consumers at eastern Narsingdi area and southeastern Cox's Bazar, 80 km and 400 km from the capital Dhaka respectively.

Hundreds of residents also took to the streets in the northern town of Kishoreganj, demanding adequate power supplies, witnesses said.

Police fired shots in the air to disperse the protesters in Cox's Bazar, and used batons at Narsingdi. No one was injured or arrested, witnesses said by telephone.

Like much of the country, the 10-million people in Dhaka also suffer blackouts of up to six hours every day, often triggering violent protests.

Power department officials said the country faces a daily electricity shortfall of 2,000 megawatts.

State Minister for Power Anwarul Kabir Talukdar told parliament yesterday the situation was unlikely to improve for several years.

The power outages have also angered Muslims during the fasting month of Ramadan, which began in Muslim-majority Bangladesh on Monday.

More than 20 people, most of them farmers, were killed in clashes with police early this year during demonstrations demanding adequate power for irrigation.

REUTERS AB PM1738