JS body defends hike in electricity, gas prices
The parliamentary standing committee on power, energy and mineral resources ministry yesterday defended the hike in power and gas tariff.
The government had no other alternative than to increase the prices as it has to spend a huge amount of money every year as subsidy in the sector, Tajul Islam, chief of the parliamentary watchdog, said.
He was talking to reporters after a committee meeting at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
However, a press release of the parliament secretariat said the committee at the meeting had recommended that the government reconsider its decision of increasing the power and gas tariff.
Asked about the release, Tajul said he had no idea about what was in there.
Retail customers will have to spend on average 2.93 percent more on electricity and Tk 200 more on gas stoves from tomorrow.
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) announced the new tariff structure on Thursday.
Under the new rates, households using a single-burner stove will have to pay Tk 600 a month, which is now Tk 400. For double-burner stove users, the tariff has been raised to Tk 650 from Tk 450 a month.
Industries that use gas to produce electricity through generators will see gas tariff double -- Tk 8.36 from Tk 4.18 per cubic metre.
BUS OWNERS FOR FARE HIKE
Private bus operators yesterday sent a proposal to the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges for increasing bus fare in Dhaka and Chittagong cities following the government decision of hiking gas and power tariff.
"As most of the buses in the two cities run on CNG, we have proposed to increase the fare,” Khandaker Enyet Ullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity, told The Daily Star.
"We have not mentioned [in the proposal] anything about the new rate or the amount we want to be increased. We have just said that the fare should be adjusted in accordance with the upcoming gas price hike,” he said.
He said they did not talk about anything on the fare of inter-district buses which run on diesel.
Enyet, also the general secretary of Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity, said all owners of buses in the capital were asked not to charge passengers any additional fare until the government revised the fares.
According to the government-fixed fare chart, a minibus passenger has to pay Tk 1.5 while a bus passenger Tk 1.6 for travelling a kilometre. Long-route bus passengers pay Tk 1.45 for the same distance.
From tomorrow, the price of per cubic meter of CNG would be Tk 35 from Tk 30.
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