BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Wednesday said the mismanagement and looting witnessed in the power sector under the ousted Awami League government must not return, stressing the need for accountability and transparency to prevent a recurrence.“We need to take steps and ensure their smooth implementation so that the chaos and mismanagement we witnessed in the power sector in the past do not recur,” Rizvi said.
He made the remarks as the chief guest at a public dialogue organised by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) and CAB Youth Parliament at the Shafiqul Kabir Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
The ousted Awami League government enacted the indemnity law to create opportunities for lootings in the power sector, he said.
“Keeping in mind that there would be plunder in the name of various projects, including quick rental power plants, they enacted an indemnity law so that no one could file a case over activities in this sector. This clearly shows their ill intention,” he said.
Rizvi said accountability is essential in every sector and department in a truly democratic society.
“Every sector and department must be held accountable in various ways. The media should be able to write articles about any sector, criticise it and discuss its merits and shortcomings. The government and the relevant department must then clarify their positions,” he said.
Such accountability, he added, ensures public participation in governance and makes the government more transparent.
He cited the difficult living conditions of people on Dharla and Brahmaputra river chars in Kurigram, including Nageshwari, saying many residents remained deprived of electricity despite claims of 100 percent electrification in the country.
He also referred to electricity shortages in rural areas in recent times, saying the issue is not merely whether electricity connections were installed but whether people could actually use the service.
Rizvi said similar problems existed in urban slums, where poor families often shared electricity to support their children's education.
He said identifying extreme poverty solely by examining electricity consumption among existing users would be difficult, as many poor people either lacked access to electricity or had to share it.
Rizvi said the prospects for rooftop solar power and other renewable energy sources are gradually opening up.
The BNP secretary general said energy security was an important agenda item at the meeting between the Prime Minister and Japan held on Tuesday, referring to agreements worth one trillion yen.
He said the government has been in office for seven to eight months and that implementing its plans would take time.
He said the government offered incentives to those who supplied surplus electricity to the national grid after meeting their own needs, adding that such initiatives could also create employment opportunities.
CAB General Secretary Advocate Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan chaired the dialogue. CAB Energy Adviser Professor M Shamsul Alam along with the teachers and students involved in the research also attended.