Rizvi accuses AL government of mismanaging power sector through indemnity law

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi today said the Awami League government created a chaotic situation in the power sector and mismanaged it by enacting the indemnity law.

He made the remarks as chief guest at a public dialogue at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity. The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) organised the dialogue, titled "Feasibility Study of Rooftop Solar Power and Lifeline Consumer Survey in Rajshahi City Corporation and Shailkupa Municipality Areas: Findings and Prospects".

Rizvi said every sector of the state must be brought under accountability if the country wants to build a truly democratic society.

"The media can write critical articles on every sector. This ensures people's participation in government and makes the government more transparent," he said.

Referring to the power crisis, he said it is not an internal matter of Bangladesh but a global one. "The government is arranging alternative measures to tackle it, and the crisis has gradually started to ease.

Energy security was an important agenda of the Prime Minister's visit to Japan. I hope we will be able to make up these shortfalls soon," he added.

"I believe darkness is never permanent. There is always a possibility of light after darkness," Rizvi said, adding that various renewable energy initiatives, including rooftop solar power generation, could open up new possibilities.

Recent newspaper reports have also pointed to interest and potential for investment in this sector, he said.

If foreign companies' interest and new investment initiatives materialise, he added, the country's power sector could see positive change.

Speaking about the keynote paper presented at the dialogue, Rizvi said the author did not try to establish his own view as correct in a one-sided manner. Rather, from a scientific perspective, he left ample scope for questioning his own research.

A major part of education is learning to ask questions, Rizvi said, noting that knowledge and science have grown in the world through questioning, and the tendency to ask questions has brought mankind to this stage of civilisation.

He said the paper speaks of determining poverty on the basis of electricity use, but it would be difficult to present a complete picture of people's socio-economic condition in this way. Many people in remote areas are still deprived of electricity, he said.

He pointed out that even where electricity has reached, not every family can enjoy the facility equally.

"These realities remind us that having an electricity connection and enjoying its benefits adequately are not the same thing," he said. "But I view such research and initiatives very positively, because analysing a subject afresh and questioning conventional notions are what carry knowledge forward."

CAB General Secretary Advocate Humayun Kabir Chowdhury presided over the programme. CAB Energy Adviser Professor M Shamsul Alam, Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) General Secretary Alamgir Kabir and journalist Kajol Shahid, among others, were present.