Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Secretary General and former lawmaker Professor Mia Golam Porwar has issued the following statement on 6th May, 2024 expressing deep concern over the ongoing nationwide power crisis and unbearable load shedding.

The public lives are suffering immensely due to continuous load shedding and severe power crisis nationwide. In one side, people are suffering because of the scorching heat, while on the other, frequent load shedding are making people’s lives unbearable. Many people are becoming sick. The rural areas are experiencing 8-12 hours of load shedding every day. The farmers cannot do their irrigation due to absence of power. It is affecting crops production as well. The capital city is also suffering because of the water crisis. People are not getting water even after standing in a queue for hours.

In the 15 years tenure of this government, power sector has witnessed unprecedented corruption, looting and mismanagement. By running quick rental power plant, the influential leaders of the ruling party have syphoned huge amount of money. State minister for power has said, only for rental fare, 26 thousand crore taka has been paid only in 2022-23 fiscal year. The government had made a contract to pave the way for receiving rent without any generation of power. Such contracts have been made against the public interest and all these contracts must be cancelled and revoked.

The present government cannot produce power as per the demand. But they have increased the power tariff repeatedly. In last 15 years, the government has increased the power price for 13 times. They are trying to fulfil the monetary deficit by imposing the unjust decision of increasing power tariff upon the countrymen. Power price hike decision will create severe negative impact upon the industrial and agricultural sector and the overall economy. The anti-people government is trying to survive by killing the people.

We are urging the government to cancel the contract for quick rental power plant and also to resolve all crisis in the power sector by removing corruption and other mismanagement.