The Cabinet on Monday approved the draft of a Power Division proposal on the ‘Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) (Amendment) Bill, 2014’ for extending the law by another four years till October 11, 2018.
The approval came from the regular weekly meeting of the Cabinet held at Bangladesh Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan said that the law was first enacted in 2010 for two years for taking quick decision on speedily enhancing the power and energy production. Later, its effectiveness was extended by another two years till 2012.
He said the implementation of the law has proved very fruitful as it was not possible to meet the countrywide growing demand of power and energy under the traditional procurement laws and rules.
On October 12, 2010, the government first enacted the speedy supply law for two years for ‘quick disposal’ of contracts in power and energy sector to meet the demand for power and energy within a short time.
In September 2012, the government then first extended the Speedy Supply of Power and Energy (Special Provision) Act, 2010 for two years, which will expire on October 11 of this year.
Professor Shamsul Alam, Energy Adviser of Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) said, the government is going to extend the law only to give financial gain for a group of people. The project cannot give any advantage in the country without increasing power tariff for several times.
The projects of gas and coal based power plants have been delaying by lobbyist group inside the government as they are making money from rental and quick rental power plants, he said.
BD Rahmatullah, a former director of power cell, said the government intentionally delays in implementing gas-based big power plants and extended the act to keep open for misappropriate people’s money.
Rental power plants have been established without tender and get relief from legal challenge by the act in October, 2010.
Energy experts and economists have been criticising the government initiate, saying that it would be painful for the economy and create pressure to increase power tariff.
The people have already been paying higher electricity tariff that was increased for six times in the last tenure of grant alliance government, they said.
