Government’s failure to resolve gas, power crisis

Describing the country’s gas and power crisis as severe would be an understatement. From people’s daily lives to transport and industrial production, almost every sector depends on these two resources. When supplies are disrupted, nearly everything comes to a standstill. It has been nearly one and a half to two months since the crisis began, but instead of easing, the situation is deteriorating day by day. People from cities to villages are suffering immensely. Yet no significant initiative by the concerned ministry to tackle the crisis is visible to the public.

People are merely seeing changes in different government ministries. Such changes, however, have little interest for ordinary people who are already facing a deep crisis. Their only expectation is that the government will quickly free them from the gas crisis and unbearable load-shedding. The severity of the crisis is evident from the closure of numerous garment and other industrial factories, thousands of people becoming unemployed and stagnation in business and trade. It is fortunate for the government that despite the severe crisis, ordinary people have not yet taken to the streets in large numbers over gas and electricity. They are showing patience in the hope that the situation will improve soon. However, there is no guarantee that they will not launch protests if the situation continues.

Several daily newspapers, including Inqilab, reported yesterday on the disruption of public life and factory production and rising unemployment caused by gas and power shortages. These reports are not new; such news has been appearing continuously. Yet there has been no good news about resolving the gas and power crisis. Rather, the situation is worsening.

Queues of vehicles at gas filling stations are becoming longer. If a CNG-run vehicle driver has to wait in line for five or six hours for gas, when will he earn his income and how will he pay the vehicle owner? At the same time, stoves are not functioning in homes, leaving housewives suffering while preparing meals. In the humid heat of Bhadra, people are gasping for relief amid load-shedding. Industrial production has declined, and many factories have stopped production altogether.

According to a report published yesterday, 57 factories of a major industrial group have remained closed since August 10 due to the gas and power crisis. These factories produce sugar, edible oil, flour, semolina, cement, paper and various other products. Around 20 factories of another major group have also remained closed. Production has been disrupted and a state of paralysis has emerged in various industrial areas due to gas and power shortages.

Published reports say 171 factories in Habiganj have remained completely closed for several days. Production is being disrupted due to low gas pressure in the industrial areas of Narsingdi, Gazipur and Narayanganj. More than 200 factories in Dhaka and Chattogram have remained closed.

The biggest concern over the gas crisis has emerged in the garment sector. There is growing distress in this leading export-oriented industry. Buyers’ orders have declined, while uncertainty has emerged over timely delivery of the orders that have already been received. Every stage of the industry, from yarn production to dyeing and finishing, is interconnected. If one stage stops, production in the next stage also comes to a halt. As a result, products cannot be manufactured on time and exports are disrupted.

Various factories producing packaging materials, labels, polybags, zippers, buttons and other items are linked to the garment industry through backward linkages. When a garment factory closes or cuts production because of the gas and power crisis, these backward-linkage factories are also affected. Moreover, numerous shops and businesses develop around garment factories and industrial areas. Their sales also decline or come to a halt.

Garment workers and employees lose their jobs as well. Thousands of workers have already become unemployed. It is not difficult to imagine how many families have been thrown into hardship and how much pressure this has placed on the national economy.

What is the reason behind this dire gas and power situation? Economists and energy experts have said that the inefficiency, lack of foresight and failure to take timely measures by the relevant government ministries are responsible. Had the authorities properly calculated the country’s gas reserves and determined how long normal supply could be maintained before taking timely measures, the crisis would not have become this severe. Even taking the realities of the war situation into account, arrangements should have been made to secure gas supplies on time. The concerned ministry has completely failed to do so.

The government’s highest priority at this moment should be to resolve the gas and power crisis quickly. Public anger and frustration over the situation are steadily increasing. If this anger cannot be eased soon, it will be a warning sign for the government.

Unfortunately, no significant government initiative is visible on how to resolve the crisis. The country is going through a deep crisis, and the gas and power shortages have dealt a severe blow to an already fragile economy. The government should immediately resolve the current crisis. It should hold lengthy discussions with opposition parties on ways to overcome the gas and power shortages. The opposition has already proposed convening a special session of parliament to discuss the crisis. Such a session could have produced various suggestions and possible solutions, but the government has not taken the proposal into consideration.

The government could also have held extensive discussions with business leaders and industrial owners to find solutions. Such discussions might also have produced a way forward. But no such initiative is visible.

It goes without saying that the crisis will not be resolved merely through statements and speeches without effective action. The government can no longer escape responsibility by blaming others or offering excuses. Ordinary people are viewing the situation as a failure of the government. They want to see what the government is doing to resolve the ongoing gas and power crisis and how quickly it can bring the situation under control.