BREB slams ‘March to Dhaka’ as anti-state acts

Staff Reporter:

The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) has issued a strong statement defending recent dismissals of employees from various Rural Electric Societies (RES), accusing a section of them of engaging in anti-state activities and violating civil service discipline through their participation in the May 21 “March to Dhaka” program.

In a press release, BREB emphasized that it has been consistently engaging with RES employees through regular monthly meetings aimed at addressing legitimate concerns, improving discipline, and increasing operational efficiency. The board highlighted that many of these meetings have led to prompt corrective measures, resulting in improvements in employee morale, discipline, and service delivery.

Regarding the longstanding demand for harmonizing service codes and integrating BREB with the Rural Electric Societies, the board clarified that this is a constitutional and policy-level matter that lies beyond its jurisdiction. “Any disruptive activities under the guise of pursuing this issue will be treated as harmful to the interest of the state and will not be tolerated,” the statement read.

BREB further claimed that the government has taken necessary disciplinary actions against employees who violated service rules or were involved in activities considered detrimental to national interests. Citing an example, the board claimed that power disruptions caused by deliberate negligence led to the death of a patient in a hospital in Netrokona, equating such actions to treason.

Reaffirming its commitment to institutional reform and service improvement, BREB called on all employees to act with patience, professionalism, and discipline. It emphasized that creating unrest during an ongoing reform process would be viewed as a serious breach of duty.

The board also addressed concerns over employee transfers, particularly those involving spouses working in nearby societies. It stated that 354 employees had already been transferred to preferred locations based on requests, with another 35 cases in process.

These transfers, BREB insisted, were in line with civil service norms and were not intended as punitive measures.