BNP Acting Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi has said gas and electricity supply to households, mills and factories will return to normal within the next one to one-and-a-half weeks.
“The stove in kitchens that is now burning with a low flame due to the gas shortage will burn properly again. Necessary fuel supply for mills and factories will also be ensured within one to one-and-a-half weeks. This is the government’s commitment,” he said.
Rizvi made the remarks on Wednesday while inaugurating a nationwide tree plantation campaign organised by BNP marking its 48th founding anniversary near Bashundhara Convention Centre on the 300 Feet Road in the capital.
He said the government had allocated an additional Tk4,000 crore beyond the budget for the urgent purchase of LNG and fuel to ease public suffering and meet the energy requirements of industries and factories.
“The government is not sitting idle. The current situation has not emerged due to any failure or negligence of the government,” Rizvi said.
He said technical problems at the Maheshkhali gas terminal had largely been resolved and the process of refilling gas there was underway.
Explaining the reasons behind the ongoing gas and fuel crisis, Rizvi said the global energy situation had been affected by the US-Iran conflict and the suspension of fuel-carrying vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
He said the movement of ships through the strategic waterway had been disrupted due to the risks of mines and bomb attacks, creating fuel supply challenges in Bangladesh and several other countries.
Rizvi said the government was in talks with Malaysia, Indonesia and other countries to explore alternative arrangements for fuel supplies.
Responding to the opposition’s movement over the gas crisis, he said a responsible opposition should inform people about the actual causes behind the situation.
BNP Joint Secretary General and Water Resources Minister Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee, Joint Secretary General Abdus Salam Azad, Jubo Dal General Secretary and MP Nurul Islam Nayon, among other party leaders, were present at the programme.
