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Govt favours power tariff hike

Star Business Report
Prime Minister's Adviser for Energy Towfique-e-Elahi i Chowdhury has suggested that power tariff be hiked in order to ensure its efficient use.
“ Such a hike is necessary to make it sure that power and energy are used efficiently.'’ he told a roundtable in Dhaka yesterday.
Energy and Power Magazine organised the roundtable on Policy, Pricing and Subsidy for Sustainable Energy at the Cirdap auditorium.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Enamul Haque, his predecessor AKM Mosharraf Hossain and former president of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Abdul Awai Mintoo took part in the discussion among others.
The keynote paper was * presented by Professor Ijaz
Hossain of the Department of Chemical Engineering at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology.
T o w I i q u e - e - EI a h i Chowdhury said the government is planning to explore gas both in offshore and onshore areas to meet the growing demand of power
and energy.
He, however, stressed efficient usage of power by consumers so that every body can be brought under the coverage of electricity.
Chowdhury said the government will prioritise the supply of power to rural areas.
In his speech Enamul
Haque said although the government wants to raise power and gas prices, it did not fix the methodologies yet in this connection.
Pointing to some bad impacts of power tariff hike, Haque admitted that a large section of people in rural areas are still out of power coverage.
"But, the government wants ensure quality service to consumers through raising power and energy tariff," he said.
The former state minister for power also advocated such tariff hike.
He said since the state-owned company is not well-equipped to explore gas
right this moment, foreign companies should continue the job of exploration.
He said coal exploration is very essential now to improve the power situation. "The government should also increase the CNG price as the price of such energy is too low in comparison with petroleum products," Mosharrf Hossain said.
Mukhlesur Rahman, acting chairman of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), said subsidising is not a good solution to the power situation.
Abdul Awal Mintoo said if the government wants 1 percent more economic growth it needs 2.50 percent growth in electricity production.
He said the government should not increase power and energy tariff unjustifiably.
Editor of the Energy and Power Magazine Mollah Amzad Hossain moderated the roundtable.