Government failed to resolve energy crisis even after six months: Shafiqul Rahman

PNN News Desk | Bogura

Bangladesh is currently going through a serious crisis, said Opposition Leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Dr Shafiqul Rahman. He said the country’s prolonged energy crisis was severely damaging the industrial sector. Yet, even after six months, the government had failed to take any effective measures to address the crisis.

Shafiqul Rahman made the remarks while speaking to journalists at the Bogura Circuit House on Saturday (September 12).

He said the country’s main export sector is the readymade garment industry. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) recently met with the President and informed him that production at many factories had fallen to less than half because they were not receiving electricity supplies according to their demand. If production declines, he said, businesses would find it difficult to repay bank loans, potentially increasing the number of loan defaulters.

He said the opposition had offered to assist the government by bringing together experts to address the electricity and energy crisis. However, the government did not respond to the proposal. He also said that the failure to find an effective solution to the crisis had forced Jamaat-e-Islami and other opposition parties to resort to programmes such as long marches.

The Jamaat chief said alternative measures should have been taken to address the energy crisis within the stipulated period after the government assumed responsibility. Although the opposition wanted to assist the government, he said, the government initially denied the existence of an electricity crisis.

Regarding state reform, Shafiqul Rahman said they had supported state reform. However, he alleged that after taking charge, the government had moved away from the commitments it had made to the people. He said the people had expressed their opinion through the referendum and everyone had a responsibility to respect that verdict.

He said there was no scope for anyone to disregard or ignore the verdict given by the people. There was no alternative to respecting the people’s decision, he added.

Speaking about the development of Bogura, the Opposition Leader said the district was an important hub for communication between northern Bangladesh and other parts of the country because of its geographical location. Although Bogura was once known as a “mini industrial city,” he said the expected level of industrialization had not developed there since independence.

Questioning the reasons behind Bogura’s long-standing neglect, he said he did not know why the region had been deprived of its rightful development opportunities. He expressed hope that Bogura would regain its due rights and receive the development opportunities it deserved.