Jamaat blames govt failures
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on Thursday blamed government mismanagement for the country’s worsening power and gas crisis, saying prolonged shortages have intensified public suffering and disrupted industrial production.
In a statement, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar expressed concern over the energy situation and alleged that mismanagement, inefficiency, lack of foresight, corruption and politicisation had aggravated the crisis.
Porwar said widespread load shedding began on 9 August, with power shortfalls reaching 3,671 MW that day, 3,757 MW on 10 August, 3,465 MW on 11 August and 3,382 MW on 12 August.
He claimed the country had faced an average electricity deficit of around 3,500 MW over the past several days, affecting households as well as industrial production.
According to Porwar, gas supply stood at around 2.03 billion cubic feet against demand of 3.8 billion cubic feet on 12 August.
He also said public frustration was growing as the energy crisis continued.
Citing security concerns, Porwar referred to a request by the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Association for tighter police protection at 80 rural electricity cooperatives, describing the move as an indication of growing pressure on the power distribution system.
The Jamaat leader said shortages of electricity and gas were affecting factories, household cooking and students’ studies, while the absence of long-term planning had made the situation more difficult.
Porwar urged the government to increase gas supply, curb industrial gas theft, reduce leakage and system losses, and adopt policies to improve energy efficiency and conversion.
He also called for easier imports of energy-related equipment, stronger measures against fuel smuggling and greater flexibility in crude oil imports through both public and private initiatives.
The Jamaat leader stressed the need to improve the technical skills of personnel involved in power generation and distribution and to accelerate domestic gas exploration.
He further called for the use of modern technology to manage onshore gas reservoirs and for cooperation with experienced foreign partners to drill new exploration and development wells.
Porwar warned that the government would have to take responsibility for any deterioration in the situation if it failed to ensure people’s basic energy needs.
