11-Party Alliance in Dinajpur, Naogaon demands urgent measures to address gas, power crisis

Leaders of 11-Party Alliance in Dinajpur and Naogaon districts on Thursday submitted memoranda to the Prime Minister (PM)  through the respective deputy commissioner, demanding urgent measures to address the country's gas and electricity shortages, rising power tariffs, alleged "ghost" electricity bills and soaring prices of essential commodities.

DINAJPUR: The memorandum was handed over to Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Rafiqul Islam following a brief rally outside the district administration office.

Addressing the gathering were former Dinajpur Jamaat-e-Islami ameer Aftab Uddin Mollah, JAGPA Central Organising Secretary Syed Imrul Kayes Rupam, Bangladesh Kalyan Party District President Ruhul Amin, former central president of Islami Chhatra Shibir Rajibur Rahman Palash, Jamaat Assistant Secretary Mawlana Saidul Islam Saikat, Jamaat leader Principal AKM Afzalul Anam, district executive committee member Anwar Hossain, Dinajpur town Jamaat Ameer Mawlana Sirajus Salehin and Dinajpur Town Chhatra Shibir President Masud Rana, among others.

In the memorandum, the alliance said the ongoing gas and electricity shortages have severely disrupted industrial production, business activities and household life, while also affecting agriculture, education, healthcare and small enterprises.

It also alleged that consumers were being burdened with electricity bills exceeding actual consumption and said the sharp rise in the prices of rice, lentils, edible oil, sugar, vegetables, fish, meat and other essentials has made life increasingly difficult for low- and middle-income families.

The alliance placed an 11-point demand, including a public hearing into alleged ghost electricity bills collected over the past three months, punishment for those responsible and compensation for affected consumers.

Other demands included scrapping what it described as illegal and unjustified charges such as demand charges and meter rent on prepaid and postpaid electricity meters; automatically refunding excess collections; improving transparency in electricity billing through independent audits; adopting a "no gas, no bill" policy; accelerating gas exploration and well drilling; investigating the performance of the Moheshkhali LNG terminal; curbing gas theft and illegal connections; ensuring uninterrupted energy supplies for industries and power plants; maintaining adequate supplies of LPG and CNG; preventing layoffs linked to the energy crisis; taking action against corruption in the energy sector; and strengthening measures against market syndicates, hoarding and artificial shortages to stabilise essential commodity prices.

The memorandum was jointly signed on behalf of the district unit of the alliance by Rajibur Rahman Palash, Assistant Secretary of Dinajpur Jamaat-e-Islami; Hafez Mawlana Rezaul Karim, President of the district unit of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Ekramul Haque Abir, Joint General Secretary of the District NCP Syed Imrul Kayes Rupam and Organising Secretary of JAGPA Md Ruhul Amin.

NAOGAON: The memorandum, which outlines a seven-point demand, was handed over to DC Mohammad Saiful Islam at his office around 11 am.

Among those present were ASM Sayem, secretary of Naogaon District Jamaat-e-Islami; Kazi Atikur Rahman, convener of the district unit of the Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party); Dewan Mahbub Al Hasan Sohag, joint convener of the district committee of NCP; Shahen Shah, general secretary of the district unit of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); Asaduzzaman, member secretary of the district committee of JAGPA; Jamaat Assistant Secretary Nasir Uddin; and Naogaon Sadar Upazila Jamaat Ameer Abdur Rahim, among others.

In the memorandum, the Alliance said people are enduring severe economic hardship, with low- and middle-income families struggling to cope with rising living costs.

The memorandum criticised repeated increases in electricity tariffs and alleged that consumers were being burdened with inflated or "ghost" electricity bills.

It also said the prices of essential commodities�"including rice, lentils, edible oil, sugar, vegetables, fish, meat and medicines�"have risen sharply, eroding consumers' purchasing power. The alliance alleged that hoarding, market syndicates and artificial shortages have further aggravated the situation.

The seven-point demand includes ensuring adequate gas supply, ending prolonged load-shedding, withdrawing what it described as unjustified electricity tariff hikes, stopping the collection of alleged ghost bills, strengthening market monitoring to keep essential commodity prices stable, taking legal action against hoarders and market syndicates, and adopting an accountable plan to contain the cost of living.

DC Mohammad Saiful Islam said he had received the memorandum and would forward it to the Prime Minister's Office.