PM’s Gulshan home feeds 1,200 units of solar power to nat’l grid

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman is supplying surplus electricity from the rooftop solar panels of his Gulshan residence to the national grid.

“The panels generated 2,200 units over the past three days, of which the residence needed 1,000 units,” State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam said on Saturday, adding that the remaining 1,200 units went to the grid.

He was speaking at a review meeting on solar power, dengue prevention and development programmes at the Cooperative Building in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. Local Government Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan and State Minister for Public Administration Md Abdul Bari attended, along with upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs) and deputy directors (local government) from across the country.

Shahe Alam said rooftops of government buildings, beginning with the Cooperative Building, would be used to generate solar power for their own needs, with surplus supplied to the grid. He described solar generation as a business opportunity as well.

The government has allocated Tk370 crore for rooftop solar projects at local government institutions, targeting around 300MW. Surplus electricity can be fed into the grid through net metering. He called for net-metering issues to be resolved in consultation with upazila administrations.

He urged UNOs to remain vigilant ahead of Durga Puja to prevent disorder. He said they had been instructed to ensure free, fair and neutral local government elections, with full government cooperation.

He also proposed an optional fund for every UNO to provide immediate assistance of Tk2,000-5,000 to poor people in their areas. The ministry could use its own revenue, he said, if the Ministry of Public Administration did not provide the allocation.

UNOs were overseeing major programmes, including Farmer Cards, Family Cards, Imam-Muezzin Cards and canal excavation, he said. He proposed an annual UNOs’ conference, modelled on the deputy commissioners’ conference, so that upazila needs could be placed directly before the prime minister.

He added that the government was working to expand safe water supply by treating river and pond water, reducing pressure on groundwater extraction.