JS panel to probe alleged power sector graft of 7 years

A parliamentary panel on Sunday constituted a three-member subcommittee to investigate alleged corruption in the power and energy sector during the five-year tenure of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance government and a two-year regime of a military-backed administration.
‘We have assigned a committee to investigate the alleged plunder of public money in power and energy sectors in the last seven years,’ said Subed Ali Bhuiyan, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of power, energy and mineral resources ministry, after a meeting at the parliament.
The parliamentary subcommittee, headed by ruling Awami League lawmaker Enamul Haque, however, was not given any timeline for submitting its report, the chairman added.
When asked about the terms of reference of the investigation team, he said the subcommittee would look into every project taken during the period.
‘They [committee members] will understand their jurisdiction once they begin the task,’ Subed Ali told New Age.
The present Awami League-led government has accused the BNP-led coalition government of pillaging power sector funds during its 2001-2006 rule. The present government alleged that unbridled corruption in the power sector had led to the present crisis in electricity generation.
The meeting reviewed the present power generation, shortage and recommended a few measures to ease the crisis.
The committee members suggested alternative sources of emergency rather than depending on the traditional sources. It called for promotion of bio-gas, solar and wind power and also for relaxing import duty on equipment for renewable energy. The meeting observed that the current system loss of 15 per cent was not acceptable under any consideration. The system loss must be brought down to a tolerable level.
The meeting discussed ways to reduce the system loss, said the chairman suggesting strong monitoring of power pilferage, snapping of illegal connections and frequent inspection of the projects.
The committee also asked the government to announce a coal policy shortly for extraction of the fossil fuel. A draft policy has been debated over the past years.
The meeting was informed that the some 811.5 megawatts electricity would be added to the national grid by June 2009 as per the government’s short-term measures to improve the power situation.
‘According to the short-term plan, a total of 811.5 megawatts electricity from both public and private sectors will be added to the national grid,’ the chairman said referring to a dossier provided by the Bangladesh Power Development Board.

Courtesy of NewAgebd