Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar has blamed the government’s alleged mismanagement, corruption and prisonization for the ongoing electricity and gas crisis.
In a statement sent to the media on Thursday, he said the country had been facing a severe power and gas crisis in recent days, with widening shortages increasing public suffering.
According to figures cited in the statement, load shedding reached 3,671MW on August 9, 3,757MW on August 10, 3,465MW on August 11 and 3,382MW on August 12.
Parwar said the figures indicated an average power shortfall of around 3,500MW in recent days, affecting both households and industries.
He also said that against a demand for 3.8 billion cubic feet of gas on August 12, supply stood at 2.03 billion cubic feet.
“Due to the government’s mismanagement, inefficiency, shortsightedness, widespread corruption and prisonization in various institutions, the electricity and gas crisis has reached an extreme level,” he said.
Parwar expressed concern over disruptions to people’s daily lives and condemned what he described as the government’s failure to address the crisis.
He said public anger was growing as the energy crisis worsened.
According to Parwar, the Bangladesh Rural Electrification Association has sent a letter to police headquarters seeking increased security at 80 rural electricity cooperatives across the country.
He said the move reflected the government’s failure to properly manage the electricity sector.
Citing media reports, Parwar said Nilphamari was receiving 45-55MW against a demand of 80MW, while Kushtia was receiving 85-95MW against a demand of 155MW.
He said similar shortages were being reported across the country, prompting electricity officials to seek additional security measures.
Parwar said the crisis had emerged because the government had failed to take long-term decisions on electricity management.
Industrial production was being disrupted, while power and gas shortages were making it difficult for people to carry out routine household activities, including cooking, he said.
Students were also facing disruptions to their studies, he added.
“Above all, people’s lives have become unbearable. In this situation, the government’s failure to take any effective initiative to resolve the crisis is an indication of its irresponsibility towards the people,” he said.
Parwar also expressed concern that the government could deepen the crisis by providing renewed benefits to old oligarchs in the name of privatizing the energy sector.
He called for increased gas supply, an end to industrial gas theft, measures to reduce leakages and system losses, easier import of energy-related equipment and technology, steps to prevent oil smuggling, and arrangements to import crude oil through government or private initiatives.
He also called for effective measures to improve the skills of those involved in electricity generation and distribution.
Parwar said foreign partners with expertise in onshore reservoir management and access to new technologies should be brought in to explore domestic gas reserves.
He also called for new exploration and development wells to be drilled to ensure the country’s energy security.
The Jamaat leader said the government would have to take responsibility for any deterioration in the situation if it failed to take necessary measures to meet people’s basic and daily needs.