The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has placed a 13-point proposal to ensure "energy justice" in the country, reports UNB.
CAB Vice president Prof M Shamsul Alam placed the proposals at a citizen meeting titled "Energy Crisis and Development of Renewable Energy" at the Cirdap Auditorium in the city on Saturday.
He placed the proposals as part of reform campaign to bring transparency, fairness and combating corruption in the sector.
The proposals include enactment of law prohibiting all kinds of unsolicited and uncompetitive investment in the energy sector, no mixing of private and public investment in the energy sector, directors appointed in companies in public sector from the bureaucrats, state-owned companies and organizations must be run by own technical manpower, cancelling the recent amendments to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Act that curtail its authority, cancelling the Speedy Enhancement of Power and Energy Supply (Special) Act 2010 and allowing the energy regulatory body to act independently.
Ensuring production of more than 50 percent of gas and electricity from public sector on cost-basis, treating use of funds from the Gas Development Fund, Power Development Fund, and Energy Security Fund as consumers' equity investment, gradually reducing the share of coal and petroleum fuels in primary fuel mix under the short and medium term plans, increasing gas exploration by own initiative and raising the use of renewable electricity to reduce import of coal and gas, and evolving policies and strategies in energy sector in compliance with the Paris Agreement to combat climate change are also among the 13-point proposal.
With CAB chairman Ghulam Rahman in the chair, the seminar was addressed, among others, by Workers' Party president Rashed Khan Menon, Samyabadi Dal president Dilip Barua, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, Jatiya Party presidium member Barrister Shamim Haider Patwari, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal assistant secretary Rajequzzaman Ratan, eminent energy expert Prof Badrul Imam, economist MM Akash, architect Iqbal Habib and lawyer barrister Jyotirmoy Barua addressed the function.
Bd-pratidin English/Golam Rosul
