Squeeze on gas supply

Government's plan for rationing gas supplies in a desperate bid to shore up the crisis-ridden energy sector cannot but raise questions. For a number of years people were given to understand that Bangladesh is one of the better gas producing nations of the world. We were told that we had gas reserves good for a period of 30 years. At one stage, considerations were also given to the possibility of its export to fetch precious foreign currency. But now we are facing a serious gas supply crunch, to an extent of being incapable of meeting our own domestic demand.

Gas rationing is about to be applied to the industrial sector until next December, together with a cap on new connections except for those to export-oriented industries. Even Tongi power plant and Polash fertiliser factory are in for a shut-down. If illegal connections were cut off we wouldn't have landed nose down as we have.

The principal cause of the crisis is put down to the delay in implementing the 37 km Ashuganj-Monohardi gas pipeline. It is indeed hard to stomach as to how such a vital project envisioned to go into operation by June 2004, is catapulted on to a delayed course -- to be completed by June, 2006? Like the power sector, our gas production and supply situation remains in an abysmal state: a perfect recipe for public suffering on top of the hardship caused by unprecedented price hikes in the market.

For long we have not seen any significant investment in the gas sector -- thanks to policy indecision and partisan opacity in dealing with investment proposals. We have not been able to go for increased production from prospective gas fields. The legacy of mismanagement and longstanding corruption continues to stalk the sector.

Dealing with issues until they become endemic and reach critical proportions has become a part of our management culture. Surely, we can, and must, do better.