Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan has said alternative personnel will be recruited if protesting workers of the Palli Bidyut Samity do not return to their duties.
“The government will not tolerate any acts of sabotage from these associations or any other entities,” the adviser said at an event organized by the Foreign Investors' Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Dhaka on Sunday.
The adviser said disruption of electricity supply under the pretext of demands is illegal.
“This government is not weak; it came to power with substantial public support,” he said.
He said the reasonable demands of the Palli Bidyut Samity have been recognized, and decisions regarding the request for permanent status for temporary workers will be made after careful consideration.
He cautioned that abrupt announcements cannot be made and warned those attempting to create instability with various demands to exercise caution.
Regarding the determination of electricity and fuel prices, he said it will be the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) that sets the prices through public hearings, not the government.
Additionally, he announced the government's plan to drill 50 exploratory wells by 2025 and said that all purchases in the energy sector will now be conducted through open tendering, rather than any form of collusion.