Can Bangladesh find a way out of the energy crisis?

When the energy crisis has created a negative impact on the economy, and gas and electricity shortage has taken public suffering to the extreme, the government has failed to produce a viable energy plan for the people. The energy sector was made LNG-dependent despite repeated warnings against it from experts. Even though multiple calls were made to the government to investigate and excavate for natural gas onshore and offshore, that was never done. Instead, the sector was pushed towards LNG, and megastructures were built to support that orientation.

Now, the price of LNG has increased in the global market, and we are having to pay even though we have our own natural gas sources. The planning regarding the energy sector was done without keeping relevant risks in mind. How did we get to such a situation? What are the faults in the government's energy strategy? And is there a way out of this crisis? Experts Moshahida Sultana, Dr Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan, Professor Anu Muhammad, Maha Mirza, and Dr Badrul Imam speak to The Daily Star Opinion.