Bangladesh's Gas Crisis: A National Capacity Solution

The gas crisis in Bangladesh has reached a critical point, with power outages increasing and households and businesses struggling to cope. The government's handling of the situation has been criticized for its inefficiency, with many pointing to the failure to repair the LNG terminal and address technical weaknesses in gas and electricity supply.

Moreover, the government has been accused of blaming the public for its own inefficiencies and failures, rather than taking swift action to address the crisis. Additionally, there are concerns that the government is using the crisis to further the interests of local and foreign business groups, with unjustifiable extra bills being imposed on consumers.

Looking back, it's clear that Bangladesh has a history of exporting gas resources to India at the behest of American oil companies. The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power, and Ports was formed in response to public resistance, with its members advocating for 100% ownership of national mineral and natural resources by the people.

Despite its establishment in 1998, the committee's recommendations have been largely ignored, with the government instead opting to increase dependency on foreign companies, loans, and imports. The result has been a mega-crisis in the energy and power sector, with repeated price hikes and environmental destruction.

Experts have proposed an alternative roadmap based on 100% ownership of national resources and development of renewable energy capacity. However, this path is being resisted by the government, which remains tied to the old rope of imports and foreign companies.