Whither our sense of responsibility?

We did not agitate and politically demand electricity during the British rule. Even in the early 1950s of the last century, punkha pullers had been at work in major offices, elitist government and private residences in which, these days, we see in use multi-patterned expensive electric fans, lights, televisions, various gadgets and air conditioners which consume electricity. Although we produce a meagre quantum of electricity, we see around electric lights of high voltage and variety in the premises of elitist residences and important public and private houses which are generally extravagantly illuminated on social and national occasions. Big hotels, restaurants, clubs, institutes, bhabans, community centres etc. where miscellaneous socio-economic and political functions including birthdays and anniversaries and social gatherings are held, use decorative electric lights heavily.

Recently, Dhaka Municipal Corporation undertook a project of illuminating a lot of trees on either side of special roads in some sections of the Metropolis as a part of its city beautification programme. The illumination of trees, hotels, restaurants, shops and malls, amongst others, in a condition of painful load-shedding which disrupts life, production, education, business etc. almost everyday in the metropolis, is utterly unjustified in the context of the acute inadequacy in the essential production scale of electricity. To crown all counts of the malaise in respect of the use of electricity, road lights at places are generally switched on about one hour before sunset, and switched off about one hour after sunrise to the surprise of metropolitan citizens who go out for morning and afternoon walks. Others perhaps take no notice of this misuse. Once switched on, fans and lights are not switched off in most government and some other offices when cool air and brightness are not at all necessary or when these offices are closed for the day.

The extravagance in the use of electricity in the metropolis in the context of inadequacy of its production and supply is certainly painful to all other than the users. The illumination of roadside trees brings to public view clearly the negligence meted out to these trees by officials concerned in taking care of the trees after their plantation. The illuminated trees are seen in a state of painfully disorderly and zig-zag posture. Lack of care of trees planted is spectacular across the country. Post-plantation lack of care may be seen from cars and buses throughout the metropolis and countryside. The plantation season is still on. The Ministry of Forest can direct plantation at the vacancies caused by negligence of officers and other reasons.

Bangladesh is reportedly full of electricity thieves. Some business houses, mills, factories, shops and even private consumers have been, as the newspapers occasionally discover, involved in the commission of the heinous crime in collusion with corrupt personnel of concerned authority. In the name of system-loss, the scale of corruption in DESA operations is really horrendous. The Anti-Corruption Commission may cast its eyes in this direction and lay its icy hand on culprits. The manipulations in electricity bills prepared by DESA officials are very well-known woes. The high executives of DESA are utterly helpless against the very strong combines of their field staff who have been desperately making money over years illegally. As we hear, the benign rural electrification programme supported by outside and has also been suffering from the melodies referred to hereinabove. The benefits are largely overshadowed by pains.

Big consumers of electricity including government and semi-government organisations do not pay regularly monthly bills, because the prescribed action is not taken for their defaults. This situation has created a default amounting to a disgraceful quantum of arrears. The authorities concerned are soft with these defaulters and harsh with those who pay bills sometimes with negligible delay without any bad intention.

It is reported that there is cabinet decision to write off Tk 500 crore of defaulters' bills, in the forlorn hope that such a step will stimulate the endeavour of defaulters to clear up outstanding bills. The moment the decision will start to be implemented the cat will come out of the bag to speculate the special circumstance which prompted such a decision in favour of lucky defaulters, to the discrimination against other consumers of electricity who usually pay fine for default in payment of monthly bills, and sometimes lose connection of electricity for small default of delay in payment.

We head of big defaults in the payment of bills on government telephone used in the Parliament hosted by outsiders who stayed over there in the absence of MP's and also of outstanding bills of some government and semi-government offices. It is presumed, the arrear bills have been paid by now, or written off by competent authority. Years ago, we heard of defaulters in payment of electricity bills and rents of abandoned buildings used by some political parties. The Finance Minister would be happy to know if such were cleared up by now.

Bank loan defaulters are numerous and many of them are otherwise important and respectable persons. Some of them on the topside of the list have been given national VIP status. Most of such loan defaulting VIPs are owners of a huge lot of property and leaders in business and industry, and are vying with each other in mercantile growth and luxury of life. Quite a few of them own banks and insurance companies, and make heavy investments in major political parties in order to obtain deferred dividends. The Bankruptcy Law exists in name only. The increasing growth of mercantilism, civil and military bureaucracy in the politics of the country has enfeebled democratic and humanistic culture in the broad facade of life and attitude. It came out in newspapers that big tax-payers would also be raised to VIP status very soon. The Dhaka University Senate resolved to demand for professors warrant of precedence above Secretaries to the Government.

Eminent lawyers, doctors, engineers, educationists, agro-specialists, scientists, top technocrats and such other persons are conspicuously absent in our parliament, because they are unable to enter the poll-market. For such persons second chamber of parliamentary scheme can certainly raise the quality of the parliament and ensure learned debate on modern socio-economic subjects related to development and governance.

In international exhibitions of development outfits, our delegates generally figure out as loitering sight-seers. The Chinese send out a huge lot of technical and scientific experts from amongst its eight ministries of industry and university arenas, who constantly take note in exhibits and gadgets and arrange to purchase necessary equipment they select, at very low price when the exhibition starts winding up. This strategy has enabled China to present a rapid and high development profile in the world.

The profile of our negotiations with foreign donors, UNO agencies, foreign governments and multi-national corporations in matters related to aid, loan, technology transfer's and joint ventures does not show the required standard of quality. This inadequacy is spectacular in respect of international agreements, which follow such negotiations. In the agreement on gas extraction with the NIKO Resources Limited of Canada, the compensation clause, as it is learnt from newspapers, for negligence and inefficient handling of gas extraction operation at Tengratila, was couched in terms fully unfavourable to Bangladesh, as a result of which the Corporation decided unilaterally to allow gas-flow-outs till the leakage would automatically stop, in the meantime continuing the havoc in the life of the people around and causing total exhaustion of the gas stock in the field.

Usually an undeveloped country is given a technology whose life span is almost exhausted or which is far below the acceptable standard. We experienced this disaster in our purchase of air and river crafts from advanced countries. Critics raise the suspicion of palm greasing in such deals.

Apart from the misuse of gas at times, corruption associated with respect to the false reporting about the ovens used by domestic consumers and the absence of meter to determine the quantum used for price fixation, we hardly think about the unlucky 90 percent of our people who have not yet got gas connection. We frequently talk about the export of gas on the basis of estimates prepared by interested parties or their local and non-local allies. From the national point of view, we cannot deprive the vast majority of our people of their right over the country's natural resource. It is heard that the big defaulters of gas bills are coming up with demand for writing off their long pending bills in the same proportion as has been decided in the case of electricity bill defaulters!

Abdul Khaleque is a former IG, Police and secretary.