‘Thousands of crores spent, but where is the electricity?’: Moyeen Khan

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan on Saturday blamed corruption and wasteful spending under the Sheikh Hasina government for Bangladesh’s persistent power crisis.

“Thousands of crores of taka were spent on Rooppur and various other projects. But where is the electricity?” Moyeen said. “The public is now paying the price.”

He was speaking at a review meeting on solar power, dengue prevention and development programmes at the Cooperative Building in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, attended by Upazila Nirbahi Officers from across the country.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is designed to have 2,400 MW of capacity.

Moyeen said Bangladesh has installed generation capacity of around 26,000 MW against demand of roughly 16,000 to 18,000 MW, but argued that the country had failed to translate that capacity into reliable supply.

He said the government was now pushing solar power as part of its response to the energy crisis, with an initial target of generating 5,000 MW.

The government has recently stepped up its emphasis on rooftop solar, with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman announcing financial incentives to encourage its expansion.

Moyeen called for solar panels to be installed on union parishad and upazila parishad buildings and encouraged rural households to use their rooftops for electricity generation.

Surplus electricity produced during the day could be stored in batteries for use at night, he said, reducing pressure on the national grid.

State Minister for Local Government Mir Shahe Alam said the prime minister had already begun using solar power at his residence.

Over three days, he said, the prime minister’s residence consumed 1,000 units of electricity while supplying 1,200 units to the national grid through net metering.

Shahe Alam also said the government would gradually distribute Family Cards and Farmer Cards to eligible families and farmers over the next four years. Fertiliser dealer licences would be issued after verification of the dealer list, he added.

Moyeen told field administrators that an elected government had limited time to deliver.

Representatives are elected for five years and must return to voters, he said, making accountability central to government.

State Minister for Public Administration Md Abdul Bari, meanwhile, urged officials to prioritise honesty, transparency and efficiency in delivering services at the grassroots.

He said integrity and professional competence were being given priority in postings and promotions.

Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Gani, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar and several division secretaries also attended the meeting, alongside city corporation chief executives, local government deputy directors and municipal administrators.