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Conflict within power bodies worsened crisis

JS body fails to recommend as power, energy divisions trade blames

STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A parliamentary body yesterday blasted the power and energy divisions for the ongoing crisis of gas and electricity and observed that lack of co-ordination between the two divisions and delay in implementation of projects have worsened the situation.
Faced with severe criticism by the parliamentary standing committee on power, energy and mineral resources ministry, the senior officials of the two divisions at the meeting blamed each other for acute shortage of power.
As the two divisions stuck to their guns, the parliamentary body that convened the joint meeting to be clear about which wing of the ministry is in fact responsible for the crisis, failed to make any recommendation.
It decided to sit again on October 31 with the same agenda and asked the power division to submit a detailed report on the supply and consumption of electricity in every
district.
Prime Minister Khaleda Zia holds the power, energy and mineral resources portfolio. A state minister has been given the charge of power division while an advisor been appointed to oversee the activities of the energy division of the ministry.
In absence of the opposition lawmakers at yesterday's meeting, the ruling BNP lawmakers asked the officials of the power division to explain the reasons for electricity crisis.
In reply, the power officials said the power generation has been hampered due to shortage of gas supply to the power plants. But the officials of the energy divisions rejected the argument and said the production has been disrupted for technical fault, not for gas supply, said meeting sources.
The parliamentary body was informed that in last fiscal year, shortage of gas supply accounted for generating 185 million kilowatt-hours less than the capacity of the power plants while technical fault was responsible for generating 76 million kilowatthours short of the maximum productivity.
While the two divisions were locked in trading blame with each other, the members of the parliamentary body concluded that a sheer lack of coordination between the two is one of the key reasons for the power crisis.
"The power generation has been hampered because there is no coordination at all between the power and energy divisions, " Committee Chairman Shahidul Islam told journalists after the meeting held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
Members of the committee and ruling BNP lawmakers Nazim Uddin Alam, Ilias Ali and Habibul Islam Habib echoed the chairman's view.
They, however, supported the statement of the energy division that blamed the disruption in power generation on technical faults.
“The power division always attributes load-shedding to the poor supply of gas. But shortage of gas supply accounts for at best 100 MWs of shortfall, whereas the country experiences up to 700 MWs of load-shedding every day,” Nazim Uddin Alam told reporters.
“We don't want this blame-game on the power crisis to continue, we are rather interested in getting the real picture,” he added.
While discussing the gas crisis, the parliamentary body blasted the chairman of Petrobangla for delaying the implementation of different projects taken up to improve the situation.
“The Petrobangla chairman is providing misleading information about the gas supply and implementation of the projects,” the committee chairman told reporters.
The members berated the Petrobangla chief for delaying the installation of gas pipeline from Ashuganj to Monohordi.
They said the government might incur a loss of several crore taka as the Petrobangla has yet to detect properly the people who would have to leave their rights to the lands to be used for installing the pipeline.
“At first, the number of people to lose houses and lands due to installation of the gas pipeline stood at 125. But lately the Petrobangla officials have allowed the number to rise dramatically to 300,” Committee Chairman Shahidul Islam told reporters.
The energy advisor however assured the parliamentary body that he would look into the matter.
The Petrobangla has already handed over Tk 30 crore to deputy commissioners of different districts to distribute among the aggrieved as compensation for the loss of lands, said the committee chairman.
Energy Advisor Mahmudur Rahman declined to comment on the discussion at the meeting while State Minister for Power Iqbal Hassan Mahmood left the meeting earlier to attend another programme.