Staff Correspondent
Energy experts have demanded of the new government to realise their charter of demands – including formulation of coal policy, cancellation of anti-national interest treaty like that with Asia Energy and imposing restriction on gas-coal exporting through enacting specific law.
Their demands also include: setting up a new ministry or directorate titled ‘Sea Ministry or Directorate’, extracting compensation from Chevron and Niko for the losses of Magurchahra and Tengratilla incidents, execution of the seven-point agreement between people and Asia Energy, formulating a policy for private power plant owned by local companies and ensuring exemplary punishment of those indulging in corruption. The experts under the banner of ‘National Committee for Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Electricity and Port Protection’ raised their voices at a press conference at the National Press Club in the capital on Sunday.
Professor M Shamsul Haque read out a written statement at the press conference while
Justice Golam Rabbani, Engineer Shahidullah, Prof Anu Mohammad, Dr Nazrul Islam and Ruhin Hossain Khan Prince, among others, were present.
“Due to the lack of government’s proper supervision and financial support for power and gas sector production during the regimes of the BNP-Jamaat alliance and Caretaker Government, the overall cost of power and gas are increasing day by day,” they said.
They alleged that anti-corruption drive is continuing since last two years, but such drive failed to catch corrupt individuals in power and energy sectors across the country. Due to widespread corruption, the longstanding crisis in power sector deepened in the last seven years.
Experts observed the interim government and the concerned ministry suspended some 770 megawatt power generation in the name of gas shortage and on the other hand it supplied gas to some rented power plant centres. There is about 750 megawatt electricity shortage at present but this crisis can be removed by ensuring the supply to PDB.
Stressing the need for implementing mid-term and long-term work-plan, Shamsul Haque urged the present government to form a high-power technical expert committee to discuss the issue in the forthcoming parliament session with a view to overcoming the longstanding crises in power and energy sectors.
Courtesy: thebangladeshtoday.com
