Lower power tariff
Two left parties yesterday urged the authorities concerned to lower the tariff on electricity rather than hiking it, reasoning that its production cost had gone down due to a drop in global oil prices almost by one third.
The call came at a sit-in organised by the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (BSD) before the capital's Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) where the fourth and concluding day of a public hearing on the issue was being held.
“A significant portion of the country's electricity is produced from oil. In the given context, we have been expecting the government to lower electricity tariff but they are doing the opposite,” said CPB President Mujahidul Islam Selim.
He also threatened tougher movements if the government did not cancel all sorts of taxes on electricity.
“If our lawmakers can get tax waiver to import luxury vehicles, why should not the working people get tax free electricity?” he asked.
Increasing the power tariff will adversely affect prices of almost everything in the market, pushing people of the low income group towards poverty, he said.
Juba Union President Kafi Ratan said had it come to power through people's vote, the government would have been committed to serving people's interests.
While the BNP-Jamaat is killing people with bombs, the ruling party is about to put people in trouble through price hikes, he added.
BNP-Jamaat is simply depriving working people of their livelihood in the name of waging a movement, he said.
Other central leaders of CPB and BSD also spoke.
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