Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party has expressed deep concern and protest at the government’s decision to raise the price of diesel, kerosene, petrol and octane by 20 taka a litre. The party has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the price rise and the adoption of a sustainable and people-friendly policy in the energy sector.
The energy and mineral resources division announced the new prices on Sunday night. As a result the price of diesel has risen from 115 taka to 135 taka, kerosene from 135 to 155 taka, petrol from 140 to 160 taka and octane from 145 to 165 taka. The new prices took effect from midnight on the night of September 21.
In a joint statement, AB Party chairman Mojibur Rahman Manju and secretary general Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad said fuel oil prices had been raised several times before this. Yet the public had previously been assured from responsible levels of government that there was no plan to raise fuel prices. As recently as March, the state minister for power and energy had said the government had no plan to raise fuel oil prices.
The two AB Party leaders said fuel oil prices had been raised by 20 taka a litre at a stroke, out of all proportion to people’s incomes and purchasing power. This will place a fresh burden of inflation on ordinary people, and in the end it is the public who will have to bear that burden. It will have a direct effect on public transport and goods transport costs, agricultural production, factories and the market for essential goods.
They said the government should have made a full assessment of the social and economic impact before raising fuel oil prices. Rather than placing the entire burden of instability in the international market on the public, effective steps are needed to reduce waste, corruption, inefficiency and unnecessary spending in the energy sector.
The AB Party chairman and secretary general also said it is essential to ensure transparency, accountability and efficient management in the energy sector. The government must take effective protective measures to reduce the impact of the price rise, particularly on farmers, working people, transport owners and workers and low-income groups.
In the statement they demanded the immediate reconsideration and withdrawal of the fuel oil price rise, the assurance of transparency and accountability in the energy sector, and effective steps to reduce inflationary pressure on the public.
They said reducing the cost of living and keeping the economy stable is one of the government’s principal responsibilities. No sustainable economic solution can be created by placing one price rise after another on the public.