Politicians, bureaucrats and businesses colluded in energy graft: M Tamim
Signing power purchase agreement with Adani Group in such haste was unfair, he says
A nexus between politicians, bureaucrats, and businessmen had facilitated rampant corruption in the country's energy and power sectors, energy expert Professor M Tamim has said.
"During the Awami League's rule, no power plant was established without political and financial exchanges. The widespread corruption was facilitated by the centralised authority of the then prime minister and the PM's Office," he said.
He made these remarks as chief guest at a shadow parliament held in the capital today (14 December). It was organised by Debate for Democracy, with its Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron presiding over, according to a press release.
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During the Awami League's rule, no power plant was established without political and financial exchanges. The widespread corruption was facilitated by the centralised authority of the then prime minister and the PM's Office.
Prof Tamim, a former Buet teacher who also worked as a special assistant to the chief adviser of the caretaker government between 2008 and 2009, said decentralisation of power could help reduce corruption. "Forensic scrutiny is necessary to investigate the corruption of conglomerates like S Alam Group and Summit Group."
Terming the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation as one of the most opaque institutions in the country, he said, "The lack of transparency served the interests of the previous government, as the corporation was deliberately kept opaque to justify higher pricing by showing consistent losses. Even the current government has so far failed to make the process transparent."
Prof Tamim said the power agreement with Adani was hastily signed within three days without any consultation. "The deal is inequitable, requiring Bangladesh to pay a 100% capacity charge along with an additional 40% for unused electricity."
He said that the agreement needs to be reviewed. "Without bringing the mafias in the power and energy sectors under the rule of law, it will be impossible to curb their influence."
The decision to rely on LNG instead of exploring and extracting domestic gas, he said, was a misguided move driven by the lure of commissions
"To avoid accountability, the previous government bypassed public hearings and set energy and power prices through the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission, a process that lacked transparency," said Prof Tamim.
In his speech, Debate for Democracy Chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiron said much like the financial sector, the energy and power sectors in Bangladesh had been turned into havens of irregularities, corruption, and plunder by looters.
"To facilitate such exploitation, the Awami League government of the time passed a controversial indemnity law in 2010 for the power and energy sectors, which was repeatedly extended, creating an environment conducive to corruption," he said.
