Power consumption during daytime to be halted if necessary: Tawfiq Elahi

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s power, energy and mineral resources advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury suggested that power consumption during the daytime will be stopped if necessary for safeguarding the country’s agriculture and industry sectors.

Tawfiq made this remark at a discussion on ‘Mitigation of the Impacts of the Energy Crisis on the Industry Sector’, in the city’s Westin hotel on Sunday. Bangladesh Chamber of industries (BCI) organised the discussion.

Tawfiq said the government is giving utmost priority on the agriculture and industry sectors.

Speaking at the discussion as chief guest, Tawfiq said the government is trying to increase gas supply in the industrial sector in various ways. 80 million cubic feet of gas can be converted into CNG for use in Bhola. The gas would be transported to Dhaka by a barge within two-three months. Businessmen can use this gas in their factories.

Businessmen from different sectors shared the problems they are facing due to the ongoing energy crisis. They said production has to be stopped for as long as 12 hours a day due to the gas crisis. As a result, work orders might get slashed and half the workforce may become unemployed.

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI) president Md Jashim Uddin said Bengal Group has many factories in Savar. Employers call him daily and complain, “Sir, you are the president of FBCCI but production remains suspended for seven-eight hours daily in our factories.”

After hearing from the businessmen, the adviser shared his plan to increase the gas supply to the industry by decreasing in other sectors.

“As the chance to import is slim, some person or other has to decrease the consumption to increase the gas supply in the country. Load shedding will increase if the gas supply is reduced in the power sector. But we have calculated that decreasing supply to the power sector is the best solution for supplying more gas in the industry sector,” Tawfiq said.

Some businessmen stood up while the advisor was delivering these assurances and sought some specific solutions to this crisis.

Assuring them, Tawfiq said, “I request you not to lose courage. We will do everything possible from the government side. If necessary, we all present here would take a pledge that we wouldn’t consume electricity during the day if necessary.”

BCI president Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Pervez chaired the discussion while director general of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Binayak Sen, former president of FBCCI AK Azad, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president Md Saiful Islam, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) president Mohammad Ali Khokon, Foreign Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) vice president Shawpna Bhowmik, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) vice president Aftab Hossain Apurbo, among others, spoke at the function.

Eminent energy expert Izaj Hossain delivered a key note speech in the programme.