Frequent booing and screams of the word 鈥榮hame鈥� filled the air inside the indoor venue in Dhaka where the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on Wednesday held its public hearing on the gas price hike proposal of up to 152 per cent.
The first public hearing in about two years and eight months, it attracted a huge gathering of consumers, who branded the BERC as a 鈥榩ublic enemy鈥�.
Consumers rallied in a human chain even before beginning the hearing in the morning. The first session of the hearing ended in complete chaos amidst slogans calling the hearing a 鈥榝arce鈥� and 鈥榓nti-people鈥� reverberating around the almost-packed venue.
On January 6, Petrobangla asked for the price hike, proposing that the per unit costs of gas used in industries and captive power plants be raised to Tk 75.72 from Tk 30 and Tk 31.50 respectively.
While energy experts found such a proposal unrealistic, consumers found the hearing reminiscent of the injustices and misrule of the Awami League, one of which was passing arbitrary energy prices onto consumers鈥� shoulders.
鈥楾hose who presented the price hike proposal acted rather like a postman. Their presentations reflect no use of intelligence, conscience, and commitment to the country,鈥� said Consumers Association of Bangladesh鈥檚 energy adviser M Shamsul Alam.
鈥楾his hearing cannot be held without righting the wrongs done to people during the past political regime,鈥� he said as he began his speech after completion of the presentations by Petrobangla, six distribution companies, and the BERC鈥檚 technical evaluation committee.
The presentations apparently left many in the venue outraged as they burst into booing, which eventually evolved into slogans just before the lunch break, demanding immediate cancellation of the hearing.
鈥楾he price hike will destroy the country鈥檚 industry, turning it into a global export destination,鈥� said Shamsul Alam, likening the BERC to a public enemy.
鈥榃e demand to know the identity of the people who came up with the idea of the price hike. Is this what freedom looks like?鈥� asked Shamsul Alam before leaving the venue after placing three demands, giving the commission three days to scrap the proposal.
In their proposals, the Petrobangla and its affiliated organisations argued that the gas price needs to be raised to increase gas supply by importing more liquefied natural gas to boost employment, business and industrial growth, echoing the justification invariably given by the past AL regime each time it raised energy prices.
The price hike is aimed at generating Tk 3,240 crore for LNG import.
AL raised energy prices frequently, often more than once a year, throughout its rule. The hikes that came since 2023 happened without public hearing after the AL curtailed BERC鈥檚 authority by amending its law.
Communist Party of Bangladesh general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince surprised by the striking similarity in the price hike proposal with that of AL鈥檚, lacking any forecast on its impact on the people and the economy.
鈥業 demand to stop this farce,鈥� he said.
鈥楾his hearing should have been called to discuss the corruption of the ousted AL regime,鈥� the CPB leader said.
Industrialists recalled how the last public hearing, held in June, 2022, was used by the fallen AL regime to increase gas prices from over Tk 16 to Tk 30 per unit, without caring for any justification.
They recalled a meeting with the government in which the estimated justifiable price ranged between Tk 20 and Tk 22. But the government had raised the price to Tk 30 anyway.
鈥業 recall industrialists receiving a maximum 7psi of gas supply against their sanctioned load of up to 40psi,鈥� said Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Mohammad Hatem.
鈥楧oes the commission want us to pay even more though the gas supply was never improved?鈥� asked Hatem.
Deliberating on the losses caused by the arbitrary energy pricing that left scores of factories either sick or closed down, the industrialists warned that the new proposal sent out a single message 鈥� stop industrial expansion.聽
Under the proposal, any new gas connection seekers in industries and captive power plants will have to pay the new price for their entire supply.
Those who were promised gas connections but are yet to get it will have to pay the new price for half of its sanctioned load and the old price for the rest.
Existing gas consumers will have to pay the new price if their consumption surpasses the sanctioned load, the proposal said.
鈥楬ow dare you! In the changed situation that cost sacrifices of so many lives, you come up with such a discriminatory proposal!鈥� wondered Bangladesh Terry Towel & Linen Manufacturers & Exporters Association president M Shahadat while addressing the commission.
Holding back new investments, which is very likely because of the prospect of Chinese industries relocating to countries like Bangladesh, implies losing out business to India and favouring 鈥榦ld AL oligarchs鈥� by allowing them to enjoy the old gas price.
鈥楽ome vested group is surely working against our economy,鈥� said Bangladesh Chamber of Industries president Anwar-Ul Alam Chowdhury.
The industrialists, repeatedly demanding to know the names of the brains behind the price hike proposal, said that what the price hike would achieve was so much opposite to what the July-August movement wanted to achieve.
Leaders of the Bangladesh Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Bangladesh Steel Manufacturers Association, the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, liquefied petroleum gas businessmen, CNG Refueling Pump Owners Association, Bangladesh Incense Manufacturers Association, and Ganosamhati Andolan chief coordinator Zonayed Saki also spoke.
BERC chairman Jalal Ahmed ended the hearing by saying that views expressed at the hearing would be seriously considered before a decision on the matter.
Bangladesh鈥檚 current gas demand is about 4,000mmcfd, but the supply remains below 3,000mmcfd. In 2023-24, the average gas supply was 2,493mmcfd.
The TEC of the BERC concluded in its evaluation of the proposal that Tk 7.34 could be saved per cubic meter of gas by adjusting tax, which energy experts call illegal and excessive.
