Leftist leaders have criticized the recent government decision on gas price hike. They alleged that the government is raising the price in favor of multinational companies. They have threatened to call for serious steps if gas price is ultimately raised.
Leaders of different left parties have organized a sit-in program before the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) at Kawranbazar on Wednesday and expressed their anger in such a way. They claimed that the mass people are already oppressed by the current high price of utilities and the government is reluctant on that issue.
Columnist Syed Abul Maksud expressed solidarity with the movement of the leftist parties against the price hike decision of the government. He expressed his fear saying that, the mass people must stand against right now against the government initiative of price hike otherwise the government would dictate to raise the price of utility services at their wishes.
President of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Mujahidul Islam Selim said the government took an anti-people stance by frequently raising prices of gas and other utility services. He wondered how the price of gas for double-burner stove could be Tk 650 or Tk 1,000 when its buying cost was Tk 350.
Energy specialist M Shamsul Alam also declared his solidarity with the movement against price hike decision saying that, the government always takes money from the mass people by raising the price of the utilities to cover the losses committed by the state-run companies. There is no point of raising the gas price while the country has enough gas, he added.
Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganasanghati Andolan, said that, all of the state-run companies have failed to justify their price hike proposal before BERC in the public hearing that was organized in last August.
Among others Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB) general secretary Khalekuzzaman, CPB leader Ruhin Hossain Prince had their speeches on the program.
However, BERC sources claimed that, the news on gas price hike that has been broadcasted in the dailies throughout the last couple of days is not total valid info.