The national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports exchanges views at Mukti Bhaban at Purana Paltan in Dhaka on the anti-people government move of increasing fuel oil prices. — New Age photo

Leaders of the national committee to protect oil, gas, mineral resources, power and ports on Friday said that the government’s increasing power and fuel oil prices was irrational and against people.
They said that the government was increasing prices in the name of reducing subsidy on power and fuel oils but did not explore cheaper ways to supply fuel oils and electricity to consumers.
Participants in a seminar the organisation’s convener Sheikh Muhammad Shahidullah presided over in the CPB office urged the government not to increase power and fuel oil prices.
Kollol Mostafa, an electrical engineer working with the organisation, said that the government expenditure had increased because of direct import of refined oils such as diesel and furnace oil. But the government could save a huge amount of money every year if it increased the national oil refining capacity.
Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the organisation, said that the government could increase power generation more than what rental and quick rental plants do by repairing and re-powering old public-sector plants. And the price of power would be a twentieth of the amount power from rental and quick rental plants is now sold, he said.
‘The government is increasing prices of fuel and electricity to get a loan from the International Monetary Fund in three years. But expatriates are remitting the same amount,’ Anu said.
Former Power Cell director general BD Rahmatullah said that the government was spending 75 pre cent of the power generation expenditure on buying 20 per cent of electricity produced by rental and quick rental plants.
Shahidullah said that the government took an anti-people stand by increasing prices of electricity and fuel in several phases since after it had assumed office in 2009.
People should lodge protests against the government move, he said.
The New Age correspondent in Barisal said that the district unit of the organisation brought out a procession and held a rally in front of Ashwini Kumar Town Hall.
The district unit president Bishwajit Baroi presided over the programme. Isahuq Sharif, Nripendranath Baroi, Imran Habib Rummon, Shah Azizur Rahman Khokan and SM Manik, among others, also spoke.