Reduce power, water prices or face demo
The government will face dire consequences, if they do not backtrack from the move to increase power and water prices, warned BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday.
He said the government has to withdraw the decision, otherwise they will organise a "mass upsurge". The senior BNP leader was addressing a human chain in front of the capital's Jatiya Press Club.
Saying that water price has so far been increased at least 10 times while electricity eight times, Fakhrul alleged that the government looted public money in the name of quick rental power plant.
The BNP secretary general said the government has been steamrolling people for the last 12 years. "People will never accept it. The government must be held accountable for this," he added.
Talking about the medical report of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, now undergoing treatment at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Fakhrul alleged that the government forced the doctors not to provide any authentic report on her health condition.
On Thursday, Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission announced to increase power tariff on a weighted average by 5.3 percent at retail and 8.4 percent at wholesale levels. It will come into effect from March 1.
Just a day after, Wasa announced to hike water tariff for both residential and commercial users. The price of per unit (1,000 litres) has been fixed at Tk 14.46 from the existing Tk 11.57, a rise by 24.97 percent, for residential users while Tk 40 from the current Tk 37.04, up by 9.94 percent, for commercial consumers. The new rates will come into effect from April 1.
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