Energy Minister assures no suply shortage, urges to pursue austerity

Consumers are rushing to refueling stations and purchasing in just two hours the amount of fuel they previously bought over one and a half days, according to Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood.

Responding to a question from opposition lawmaker Hasnat Abdullah in parliament on Thursday, the minister accuses panickers for the long queues at fuel stations assuring that no supply shortage persists.

He assured lawmakers that the country’s fuel reserves remain stable and the government is actively sourcing additional supplies from multiple countries to ensure continued stability.

Addressing a separate query from ruling party MP SM Jahangir Hossain regarding electricity, the minister stated that there is no nationwide power crisis. 

However, he acknowledged that rising summer demand and infrastructure limitations are causing occasional disruptions.

He explained that electricity supply cannot be instantly increased in response to sudden regional demand spikes. To mitigate outages, the government has instructed offices and shopping centers to limit unnecessary lighting and maintain air conditioning at 25°C.

Monitoring teams have been deployed to curb excessive lighting in commercial areas, while authorities are also discouraging the use of high-energy appliances; such as water pumps, ovens, heaters, irons, washing machines and welding equipment, during peak hours.

The government has also implemented a 180-day action plan aimed at reducing power outages, alongside ongoing short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives to expand electricity production capacity.

SH