Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad on Sunday urged ministers to carefully examine all relevant issues before making commitments in parliament.
He made the remarks while drawing attention to an unfulfilled assurance by Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud over gas supply to the Ashuganj Fertiliser Factory.
The observation came during a parliamentary session after MP Rumeen Farhana raised a supplementary question on the issue.
During the session, Rumeen Farhana reminded the minister of his earlier pledge in parliament that gas supply to the Ashuganj Fertiliser Factory would begin by 1 May. She said more than a month had passed, but the factory was still without gas.
She sought a clear timeline for when the fertiliser plant would receive supply.
In response, the minister cited the country’s gas shortage and said the government was prioritising supply to power plants over fertiliser factories.
He said gas availability remained limited. While demand existed for both electricity generation and fertiliser production, the government had to keep power plants running, which prevented immediate supply to the factory.
Minister Iqbal Hasan Mahmud also said no gas drilling had taken place in the last 17 years. The current government, he added, had begun drilling operations and hoped to discover new reserves. He said supply to factories like Ashuganj would be possible once additional gas became available.
Following his explanation, the Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad again referred to the earlier assurance given in parliament.
He noted that the minister had previously stated gas would be supplied from the first day of the month, but that commitment had not been fulfilled.
The Speaker urged ministers to take greater responsibility when making assurances in the House. He said commitments should only be made after thoroughly reviewing all technical and operational realities, including drilling and supply constraints.
