National committee to protect oil-gas to hold countrywide rally Nov 4

National Committee to Protect Oil-Gas, Mineral Resources and Power-Port today announced to hold a countrywide rally on November 4 to press home its 6-point demands.

The leaders of the committee announced the programme from a roundtable meeting at Dhaka Reporters Unity today.

The demands include holding trials of the "energy criminal" who looted country's wealth in the last 16 years, reducing power and energy prices, enhancing institutional capacity in power and energy sector through reforms, enhancing capacity building in producing local gas, and ensuring competitive bidding process for producing renewable energy in the country.

With Dhaka City Unit coordinator Julfiqar Ali in the chair, the event was addressed among others, by National Committee leader Anu Muhammad, Vice President of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) Prof M Shamsul Alam, economist MM Akash, and Prof Anis Chowdhury of Australia's Western University.

Addressing the event, Prof M Shamsul Alam said that the "energy criminals" must be tried and punished for their crimes. Otherwise, people will not get the justice and interim government will lose support of the masses, he added.

He also demanded empowering the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) so that it could take all decisions in energy sector in regard to the prices.

Prof Anu Muhammad said the government had floated international bidding for offshore gas blocks, but the ownership of people must be ensured in the gas block before they are awarded to any foreign companies.

He alleged that the fallen regime of Awami League enacted the Speedy Enhancement of Power and Energy Supply (Special Act), 2010 only to give indemnity to the criminals for their misdeeds.

He also demanded the cancellation of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant deal saying that this project will put the lives of 1.2 crore of people at great risk.

Prof MM Akash said that the change of people in power will not change the situation. "Only the change in structure can check the corruption and reforms must be done for this sake."