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The interim government has sought budgetary support from the Asian Development Bank to pay outstanding dues to foreign energy companies and make more imports of power and energy.
The request was made by Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan when a delegation of the multilateral donor agency, led by its country director Edimon Ginting, met him at the ministry’s conference room on Thursday, reports UNB.
Welcoming the ADB delegation, he informed them that he had made several decisions very quickly soon after taking charge.
He said the interim government will make decisions based on facts rather than just relying on statistics.
He also informed the delegation that from now on, to ensure transparency, he has also given instructions to the ministry officials to go through the tender process to make any kind of procurement.
“The provisions of Public Procurement Act, 2006 and Public Procurement Rules, 2008 shall be used in all procurement processes”, he told the delegation.
He also noted he has suspended the ongoing operations under the Speedy Power and Energy Supply (Special) Act, 2010, and suspended the concerned provision of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (Amendment) Act, 2023 that allows the government to raise power and gas tariff by executive order.
Fouzul Kabir, who is also adviser of the Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges and the Ministry of Railway, said that the current government has undertaken plans to increase the use of renewable energy.
Congratulating the adviser on his new role, the ADB Country Director in Bangladesh said that they are the biggest partner of the government in the power and energy sector.
He expressed interest in working wholeheartedly with the present government. They will seriously consider the current government's request for budgetary assistance in the power and energy sector.
Senior Secretary of Road Transport and Highways Division Md. Ehsanul Haque, Senior Secretary of the Power Division Md. Habibur Rahman, Senior Secretary of Bridges Division Md. Manjur Hossain, Railway Ministry Secretary Mr. Abdul Baki, and Energy and Mineral Resources Division Secretary Md. Nurul Alam were present on the occasion.