Staff Reporter :Different political parties have protested the price hike of power, gas and essential commodities. Some parties staged demonstration in the capital city and some other parts of the country on Saturday against the recent decision of the government to hike the price of gas and power. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD), Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) and Gono Forum are among the parties who have protested the hike in gas price and power tariff. Some other left-leaning parties, however, warned of calling hartal and gherao the Energy Ministry if the decision of price hike is not withdrawn. Islami Andolan Bangladesh (IAB) and Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) also protested the price hike. The parties said that, the government’s latest decision would add to cost of living of the people, and sufferings to the poor. The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) has increased power prices by 2.97 percent and gas prices by 26.29 percent that will be effective from September 1. Denouncing the price hike on power and gas, the BNP urged the government to re-fix the tariff after holding a mass hearing with political parties and other stakeholders. “The new tariff structure on the utilities announced by the BERC is unacceptable and illogical,” said BNP spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan central office on Saturday afternoon.The BNP leader claimed that the government does not provide any subsidy in gas sector rather they earned some Tk. 20,080 crore in the last five years. He also claimed that the government’s decision came at a time when the oil prices in the international market are dropping. He said, apart from public discomfort, the country’s export sector would also take a hit for the hike.Meanwhile, police foiled demonstration and human chain programmes of BNP in Chittagong city. The leaders and activists of the party, led by city BNP general secretary Dr Shahadat Hossain, gathered in front of Chittagong Press Club in the morning. Police obstructed them when the BNP men tried to form the human chain. Later, the BNP men left the place when police snatched banners from them.Nazrul Islam, sub-inspector of Kotwali Police Station, said that police foiled the programme, as the BNP did not take any permission from the authorities concerned. Gonotantrik Bam Morcha, an alliance of eight left-leaning parties, arranged a demonstration rally in front of National Press Club in the capital city. Addressing the rally, chief coordinator of the alliance Saiful Haque said that they would call hartal if the government does not withdraw the decision. He also said that they would gherao the Energy Ministry on September 1. The CPB and the BSD will hold a sit-in programme in front of the Energy Ministry tomorrow (Monday). The decision came from a joint meeting of the two parties held at Purana Paltan office. CPB general secretary Syed Abu Zafar Ahmed chaired the meeting, while BSD general secretary Khalequzzaman and other central leaders of the two parties joined the meeting. Leaders of the parties said that, the government would be forced to cancel the price hike through a tougher movement. They said, despite a decline in fuel price in the international market, the government has raised its price in the local market. They alleged that the government hiked the energy price to satisfy the ADB and the World Bank. Meanwhile, the Paltan Thana unit of the CPB arranged a demonstration rally at Paltan intersection. Columnist Syed Abul Maksud and the CPB leaders addressed the rally. Acting President of JSD MA Gofran and General Secretary Abdul Malek Ratan in a joint statement strongly criticised the government for increasing the price of gas and power. The two leaders also came down heavily on the government for the price hike of the essential commodities.
