A special cell will be set up soon lo bring about reforms in the country's power sector and necessary work in this^ regard has been completed.

According to a well-placed official source, the project proposal for the creation of a Power Cell has been forwarded to the Planning Commission ’ for approval.

Soon after the approval, the government will constitute the cell comprising experts from both the pubfic and the private sectors.

'However, the core people of the proposed cell will come from the government," said the source, "If everything goes well, the power cell will be formed within a couple of months."

Initially, the Power Cell will operate as an attached body to the Ministry of Energy and

Mineral Resources But it would be gradually converted Into an autonomous statutory organisation.

The formation of such a cell was recommended in the report on power sector reforms prepared by an inter-ministerial working group headed by the Secretary of energy ministry. The proposal and rec ommendations of the report received approval of the Cabinet last month.

The main task of the cell would be to formulate a strategy for implementing the various power sector reform proposals. The cell will al«> prepare plans and guidelines for private participation and in vestment in the power sector.

In, the long run. this cell will act as a regulatory body to coordinate the activities of the

public and the private sectors involved in the generation and distribution of electricity.

After the setting up of the Power Cell, an inter-ministerial steering committee will also be constituted for overall supervision of the reform activities. The Secretary of the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources will act as convenor of the committee.

The major proposals contained in the report on power sector reforms include organisational restructuring of the Power Development Board (PDB). the Dhaka Electric Supply Authority (DESA) and the Rural Electrification Board (REB), clearly identifying their areas of operation.

Necessary steps to attract private investment in the power sector have also been recommended in the report while handing over of certain functions of both the PDB and the DESA to private firms on contract basis was also suggested.

Policy-makers believe that the Implementation of the ■ power sector reform programmes will help resume loan operation of the donor agencies for the power sector. A Joint mission of the donor agencies. which visited Bangladesh recently, stressed on reforms in the power sector and also made It a precondition for. providing funds for power development projects.