JS committee recommends realistic plan to keep fuel prices affordable

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Public Administration has recommended that the relevant authorities formulate and present a realistic plan to keep fuel prices at an affordable level for the people.

The committee also recommended that detailed information on current fuel demand, storage capacity and the preparedness of the concerned institutions to meet future demand be presented at its next meeting.

The recommendations were made at the first meeting of the committee, held at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban today, with its Chairman and Chief Whip of Parliament Nurul Islam Moni in the chair.

Committee members and whips Mia Nuruddin Ahmed and Md Akhtaruzzaman Mia, along with Mst Tahsina Rushdi, Khondaker Abu Ashfaq, Mohammad Kaiser Ahmed, Biswas Jahangir Alam, Md Mustafizur Rahman Bhuiyan and Mohammad Najibur Rahman, attended the meeting.

The meeting reviewed the activities of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) and its affiliated organisations.

Detailed discussions were held on the reasons behind increases and adjustments in petroleum product prices at different times, ways to keep prices at an affordable level, and the roles of Padma Oil PLC, Meghna Petroleum PLC and Jamuna Oil PLC in increasing or reducing fuel prices.

The committee sought an explanation from the BPC as to why a fuel crisis emerged in the country after the incumbent government assumed office and how the crisis was resolved solely through increases in fuel prices, despite the fuel supply system remaining unchanged both during and after the crisis.

The Secretary of the Energy and Mineral Resources Division, officials of the BPC, and representatives of the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat, ministries, divisions and concerned organisations were present at the meeting.