Speaker cautions minister for breaking parliamentary gas supply pledge

Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed has cautioned Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood after he failed to deliver on a specific commitment made during a previous parliamentary session.

The rebuke occurred during Sunday’s session following a query from Member of Parliament Rumeen Farhana. 

The lawmaker pointed out that the minister had explicitly promised the House that gas supply to the Ashuganj Fertiliser Factory would be restored by May 1. However, more than a month later, the facility remains without gas.

In his defense, Minister Mahmood cited the national gas crisis and explained that the government had decided to prioritize power generation over fertilizer production. "We must keep the power plants operational, which is why we cannot provide a gas connection to the factory right now," the minister said. 

He further noted that no drilling projects had been undertaken in the last 17 years, and that the current administration had only recently initiated new exploration efforts.

"Once we successfully extract more gas, we will be able to supply it to factories like Ashuganj," he added.

However, the Speaker was not satisfied with the minister's explanation regarding the broken promise. 

Addressing the minister directly, Speaker Ahmed noted, "You stated in this Parliament that gas would be supplied starting the first of the month. That did not happen."

The Speaker strongly advised the cabinet members to exercise greater caution and conduct thorough research before making official assurances to the legislature. 
"Before making any pledge in Parliament, you must study all relevant factors, such as drilling capacity and other logistics," the Speaker concluded.