Different political parties and organisations yesterday condemned the Awami League-led alliance government for increasing the retail price of electricity again in less than two years and called for immediate withdrawal of the decision.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) yesterday decided to increase retail power tariff by 6.96% with effect from this month.
Power tariffs were last hiked in September 2012 _ retail price by 15% and wholesale by 17%.
Criticising the government decision as “anti-people”, former opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party yesterday announced that it would hold protest marches in every ward of the capital and at all divisional, district and upazila headquarters.
“Hiking the price of electricity, ignoring public opinion, is an extreme level of betrayal of the people. It is normal that the anti-people government will take anti-people decision,” BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Naya Paltan.
He said the price hike would increase the sufferings of the people, particularly those from lower and middle income groups, and have an adverse impact on the country’s economy.
“Production costs in agriculture and industry sectors will increase, resulting in skyrocketing prices of daily essentials,” Rizvi said.
The BNP leader claimed that ruling party members had plundered thousands of crores of takas from the power sector, and the common people have been “victimised for it”.
Rizvi also condemned BERC, saying public hearings held by the regulatory commission were “cheating only”.
Meanwhile, the Communist Party of Bangladesh, Socialist Party of Bangladesh and Gano Sanghati Andolan leaders in separate press statements said the AL-led government raised electricity prices several times during its previous tenure, and the latest increase would worsen the sufferings of the people, who were already facing high inflation.
In their statement, Communist Party president Mujahidul Islam Selim and general secretary Syed Abu Zafar Ahmed said the common people were suffering much due to increased prices of essential commodities and the hike in power tariff would worsen their woes.
Socialist Party general secretary Khalequzzaman said the government had raised the price of electricity again ignoring the interest of the people.
Terming the BERC decision as illegal, unlawful and anti-people the leaders of the left-leaning parties demanded withdrawal of the decision as early as possible.
The parties also planned to stage demonstrations today to protest the price hike.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami acting secretary general Shafiqul Rahman also condemned the increase in electricity price, and demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision.