Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan, Advisor to the Interim Government Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and Ministry of Railways said, we want to restructure the power companies. I want to break the structure of irregularities in the power sector. A committee will be formed to investigate the allegations of irregularities. It should be remembered that this is a new Bangladesh. Everyone has equal opportunities here. As there are crises, there are solutions.
He said this in a briefing to mediapersons after an exchange meeting with officials at the conference room of Rupsa 800 MW Combined Cycle Power Plant located in Khalishpur, Khulna on Saturday morning. Later the advisor visited various parts of the power plant.
The advisor said, so far a development story was being read in our country that our per capita income and GDP is increasing in Bangladesh and we are turning from a low-income country to a middle-income country. It now appears that this was a mistake. A power plant has been built in Khulna at a cost of around eight thousand crore rupees, which has been added to the national GDP. Even if the GDP increases, the gas-based power plant does not seem to be able to generate electricity immediately. We knew long ago that the gas reserve in Bangladesh will decrease, it will not be possible to supply gas to the power plant from here. Eight thousand crore rupees were spent on setting up the power plant but people are not getting any benefit from it. This is the fallacy of development.
The advisor also said that development should be measured by what has improved people’s lives. Near this power plant in Khulna only gas is available in Bhola which is insufficient. There is a requirement of 140 mmcf of gas but only one hundred mmcf of gas is available in Bhola. Even if a new pipeline takes three years to bring this gas to Khulna, it will not be enough. However, how to make the power plant partially operational is still under consideration.
Senior Secretary of Power Department Md. Habibur Rahman, Jalani and Mineral Resources Department Secretary Md. Nurul Alam, Bangladesh Power Development Board Chairman (Acting) Md. Rezaul Karim, Khulna Deputy Commissioner (Acting) Md. Yusup Ali and officials of power and Jalanikhat were present in the meeting.
In the afternoon, Advisor Muhammad Fawzul Kabir Khan exchanged views with public representatives, Ministry of Electricity, Water and Mineral Resources, Ministry of Road Transport and Bridge and Ministry of Railways, local civil society, student coordinators and representatives in the Khulna Deputy Commissioner’s conference room. During this time the advisor listens attentively to the suggestions and complaints of the participants and promises solutions. Khulna Divisional Commissioner Md. Helal Mahmud Sharif welcomed the meeting.
