Opposition chief whip and Jatiya Party lawmaker Mujibul Haque Chunnu on Tuesday in Jatiya Sangsad came down heavily on the government for increasing the price of electricity saying that the government’s move would add miseries to common people.
Speaking on a point of order, Chunnu demanded that the government withdraw its decision for the sake of the people.
The government is set to hike electricity and energy prices from the first week of March in its effort to reduce subsidy bills from the state coffer, said state minister for power, energy and mineral resources Nasrul Hamid on the day.
Electricity prices will go up by Tk 0.34 per unit, he said while responding to reporters at his office at the secretariat.
The power producers that are using gas to generate electricity are also going to see higher prices of gas from the next month, according to the minister.
Chunnu in his speech said, ‘People are in a miserable condition. When common people go to the market… there is no control over the price of goods.’
He also said that there was no supervision from the government.
People are living a very unbearable life, Chunnu said, adding that in this situation the government has increased the price of electricity from Tk 0.34 to 0.70 per unit.
Gas prices have also increased, Chunnu added.
Chunnu said, ‘The government is saying that thousands of crores of taka are being spent in paying subsidies. But how will you reduce the subsidies? People are being crushed due to the price hike of essentials. An increase in the price of electricity means that the price of many goods will increase with it as we produce many things by electricity.’
‘A government was elected by the people just a month ago with high hopes. But the government increases electricity and gas prices before Ramadan which is intolerable,’ he added.
‘I would request the government not to increase the price of gas and electricity right now. You can think about this when the economy will come to a normal state,’ added Chunnu.
New Age