Editorial Desk :
Protest against gas price hike is spreading and taking violent shape. Some leftist political parties enforced a half-day hartal in the city on Tuesday and agitated at several key city points. Parallel to this event, activists of Progressive Students’ Alliance – affiliated with left political parties marched at Shahbagh point yesterday morning triggering violent clashes with police.
As police lobed tear gas and water cannon on agitating students beating them and arresting many from the spot, the High Court yesterday ordered a stay for six months on the second phase of gas price hike from June 1 while asking the concerned authorities why the entire move should not be declared illegal. We believe the HC order will create opportunity to resolve the crisis.
The High Court bench comprising Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan came up with the order and the ruling on a writ petition filed by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) challenging the legality of the government
notification for the price hike.
The court has questioned the legality of the increase of gas price in two phases within a year; which is a clear violation of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Act-2003 that bars price hike more than once in a year.
So the ruling has asked the authorities concerned to explain why the public gazette giving effect to gas price hike from March 1 and June 1 should not be declared illegal although it did not stop the first phase to take effect.
The 50 percent price hike landed as a big blow on all users – business, industries and households that clearly shows how insensitive the government is in such touchy issues affecting national life.
The cash hungry government as it remains untouched with the people and depends on bureaucratic advice to generate more revenue for financing inefficient and corrupt government machineries, may now find a pause with the High Court order to weigh all sides of the big price hike. It may bring sense to the policy makers now being totally controlled by bureaucracy.
The new gas price is not only illogical but also oppressive to common people. A two-burner stove will cost now Tk 800 and one burner Tk 750 from March 1 while by June it was scheduled to increase to Tk 950 and Tk 900 respectively. Industries will have 15 percent addition to their energy cost as per the latest price slabs.
The entire economy is set to severely suffer impairing export competitiveness. Cost of transports and inflation will also phenomenally rise in the new situation.
The hartal and pitched battle of protesting students with police at Shahbagh yesterday invariably showed the agitation might spread and the left parties publicly warned that they would lay siege on the Energy Ministry on March 15 if the government does not pull back from the decision.
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Biplobi Workers Party, Gonotantrik Biplobi Party, Gonosonghoti Andolon and Gonotantrik Bam Morcha earlier called the strike for Tuesday.
Major opposition BNP and the National Committee for protection of Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources lent support to the agitation. The worse may come yet when the government will announce new price hike for electricity as the concerned Minister publicly spoke about it.
We welcome the court order at a time when the government needs a speed breaker to look back and if possible to correct its erratic way of policy making that punishes the common people and help the vested interest quarters. To many the government itself is a big vested interest quarters now where public interest is quickly disappearing.
It is unthinkable how the government can take such big decision using the Energy Regulatory Commission and its so-called public hearing. It looks like gimmick with big issues affecting the common people.
Political parties and civil society leaders had opposed any price hike during the last August public hearing making clear from business figure of the gas distribution companies that they are making enough profit. It does not justify any price hike.
Companies that time had tabled a proposal for 94.7 percent price hike when nowhere in the world such big price hike proposal come on the table and get policy makers nod. But everything here is arbitrary and decision makers are least bothered about people’s suffering – be it gas price or Rampal power plant that threatens existence of Sundarbans forest.
The government should try to make management efficient and save waste of money in all the government departments. Unreasonably huge amounts of money are being spent on security arrangement of VIPs. The idea is to change the high life style of the government.
Protest against gas price hike is spreading and taking violent shape. Some leftist political parties enforced a half-day hartal in the city on Tuesday and agitated at several key city points. Parallel to this event, activists of Progressive Students’ Alliance – affiliated with left political parties marched at Shahbagh point yesterday morning triggering violent clashes with police.
As police lobed tear gas and water cannon on agitating students beating them and arresting many from the spot, the High Court yesterday ordered a stay for six months on the second phase of gas price hike from June 1 while asking the concerned authorities why the entire move should not be declared illegal. We believe the HC order will create opportunity to resolve the crisis.
The High Court bench comprising Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice JBM Hassan came up with the order and the ruling on a writ petition filed by the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) challenging the legality of the government
notification for the price hike.
The court has questioned the legality of the increase of gas price in two phases within a year; which is a clear violation of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission Act-2003 that bars price hike more than once in a year.
So the ruling has asked the authorities concerned to explain why the public gazette giving effect to gas price hike from March 1 and June 1 should not be declared illegal although it did not stop the first phase to take effect.
The 50 percent price hike landed as a big blow on all users – business, industries and households that clearly shows how insensitive the government is in such touchy issues affecting national life.
The cash hungry government as it remains untouched with the people and depends on bureaucratic advice to generate more revenue for financing inefficient and corrupt government machineries, may now find a pause with the High Court order to weigh all sides of the big price hike. It may bring sense to the policy makers now being totally controlled by bureaucracy.
The new gas price is not only illogical but also oppressive to common people. A two-burner stove will cost now Tk 800 and one burner Tk 750 from March 1 while by June it was scheduled to increase to Tk 950 and Tk 900 respectively. Industries will have 15 percent addition to their energy cost as per the latest price slabs.
The entire economy is set to severely suffer impairing export competitiveness. Cost of transports and inflation will also phenomenally rise in the new situation.
The hartal and pitched battle of protesting students with police at Shahbagh yesterday invariably showed the agitation might spread and the left parties publicly warned that they would lay siege on the Energy Ministry on March 15 if the government does not pull back from the decision.
Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Biplobi Workers Party, Gonotantrik Biplobi Party, Gonosonghoti Andolon and Gonotantrik Bam Morcha earlier called the strike for Tuesday.
Major opposition BNP and the National Committee for protection of Oil, Gas and Mineral Resources lent support to the agitation. The worse may come yet when the government will announce new price hike for electricity as the concerned Minister publicly spoke about it.
We welcome the court order at a time when the government needs a speed breaker to look back and if possible to correct its erratic way of policy making that punishes the common people and help the vested interest quarters. To many the government itself is a big vested interest quarters now where public interest is quickly disappearing.
It is unthinkable how the government can take such big decision using the Energy Regulatory Commission and its so-called public hearing. It looks like gimmick with big issues affecting the common people.
Political parties and civil society leaders had opposed any price hike during the last August public hearing making clear from business figure of the gas distribution companies that they are making enough profit. It does not justify any price hike.
Companies that time had tabled a proposal for 94.7 percent price hike when nowhere in the world such big price hike proposal come on the table and get policy makers nod. But everything here is arbitrary and decision makers are least bothered about people’s suffering – be it gas price or Rampal power plant that threatens existence of Sundarbans forest.
The government should try to make management efficient and save waste of money in all the government departments. Unreasonably huge amounts of money are being spent on security arrangement of VIPs. The idea is to change the high life style of the government.
