Members of Parliament voiced strong dissatisfaction over ongoing electricity load shedding, gas shortages in industrial areas, and the overall performance of the power and energy sector on the opening day of the budget session of Parliament.
During Sunday’s sitting, several MPs raised concerns over prolonged power cuts across rural and urban areas, as well as factory shutdowns caused by gas shortages, demanding explanations from the government.
Jashore-4 MP Golam Rasul drew the attention of the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood at the outset of the discussion.
He said rural areas were facing hours of load shedding, while Abhaynagar and Noapara-key industrial zones-were experiencing reduced production and factory closures due to energy shortages.
He said the crisis was severely affecting industrial output, employment, and local economic activity, and sought clarification on government measures to address the situation.
In response, the minister said he was not aware of any major specific crisis in the areas mentioned, adding that the government was working to resolve issues wherever they existed.
Later, Brahmanbaria-2 MP Rumeen Farhana raised questions over gas supply to the Ashuganj Zia Fertilizer Factory, saying that although supply was scheduled to resume from the first of the month, the commitment had not been implemented, creating uncertainty in production.
The minister referred to existing limitations and challenges in the country’s energy supply system in his response.
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed also remarked, urging the minister to ensure that commitments made in Parliament are implemented, warning that failure to do so could send the “wrong message” to the public.
Further grievances were aired by Patuakhali-2 MP Shafiqul Islam Masud, who recounted experiencing 10 to 12 hours of load-shedding daily while visiting his constituency during the Eid holidays.
He alleged that when he informed power department officials, he was advised to stay at a Dak Bungalow if necessary.
He also raised concerns over the issue of transformer theft, questioning why consumers should be required to collect funds to replace stolen transformers and calling for clarity on whether it is the responsibility of the power division or the public.
