Rural areas are suffering from 10 to 12 hours of daily power outages, independent lawmaker for Brahmanbaria-2 Rumeen Farhana informed Parliament on Sunday.
Speaking during a supplementary question session in the first budget session of 13th National Parliament, Farhana highlighted the grim reality of “load shedding or repair shedding” in the countryside.
“Honourable Speaker, the reality is that villages do not have electricity for 10 to 12 hours,” she said. Farhana further questioned the government regarding the unfulfilled promise of gas supply to the Ashuganj Fertiliser Factory.
She noted that although the minister had previously pledged in Parliament to restore the gas connection by 1 May, over a month has since passed without any supply being realised.
In response, Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood acknowledged the country’s gas limitations. He explained that gas supply to power plants is currently being prioritised over fertiliser factories to maintain electricity generation.
“The honourable member is asking for electricity while also demanding gas for her fertiliser factory. There are limitations to the gas supply,” the minister said, adding that the government is forced to keep power plants operational, which has prevented connection to the Ashuganj plant.
Mahmood further claimed that no gas drilling had been conducted in the country for the past 17 years.
He informed the House that the current administration has initiated drilling for the first time and expressed hope that once gas is discovered, the government will be able to provide connections to units like the Ashuganj Fertiliser Factory.
Following the minister’s remarks, Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed intervened to remind him of his previous parliamentary commitment.
“Honourable minister, you did state in Parliament that gas would be supplied from the first of the month. That has apparently not been realised,” the Speaker noted.
The Speaker urged ministers to exercise greater responsibility when making pledges on the floor of the House, advising that future promises should only be made after thorough studies of drilling and other necessary technical requirements.
