JS passes bill on energy deals
The Daily Star report suggests that the Bangladesh Parliament passed a bill on energy deal on 3rd October 2010. After signing by the President it will be a law. The main aim of passing this law is providing the government with sweeping authority to quickly award energy sector contracts on unsolicited negotiation basis. This means the present government has given utmost priority to the energy sector.
Only few weeks ago I wrote a letter in the DS on the same subject. In that letter I tried to explain how and what speed our energy sector people move. I had shown a comparative speed of works with our neighbours. Our speed is much slower than them with no comparison. When Thailand drills 200 wells in one year, our people open "tender envelope" in 2 years. So, mere making law will not help the country to attain sufficiency in energy. They will move in the same speed as they did in the past and are now doing. It will be like our traffic law. The traffic authority in Dhaka makes new laws every week but the traffic system remains same and people spend times in the traffic jam every day.
The present Prime Minister has realised that she cannot lead her people to the goal she promised to the nation unless she can deliver the main ingredient for development in all sectors.
I know how the people of BAPEX are working in Bangladesh. They float tenders for same work several times creating problems themselves. Their engineers sit idle, and foreign companies for work outside Bangladesh and getting on-the-job training and experiences are hiring many of them. Most of them do not return.
The law does not work, the people work. Unless the papers, reports on physical studies for implementation of projects are not prepared by the very people who are entrusted to do, the new law will not bring any speed. This law will only protect them from accountabilities for their works in future. I hope the anxious Prime Minister should give a timetable for every work they are given to implement. They should be made free from politics inside their office; they should not be allowed to mislead media by showing too much negative attitude towards foreign experienced companies by exaggerating their own capacities.
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