Oil supplies and payments
A report from Chittagong on Kuwait's oil deal with Bangladesh was published on May 31 in a local English daily. It is an ominous sign, confirming the failure of our price negotiation with them.
Elsewhere in the report however, there are indications of a deal being made with a UAE based company for future oil purchase.
The real crunch are the prices involved, and our sky-rocketing oil bill!
From US$ 3.2 billion in 2006-07, this year the bill will go up to US$4.5 billion-- nearly a fifty percent hike! How long can we afford the import of oil at this rate?
All this points to the urgency for exploiting our coal. This can no longer be delayed while we debate unnecessarily over open-pit or shaft mining!
Both types of mines will have soil subsidence problems, given the nature of our soil crust. Soil subsidence is already spreading over our deep shaft mine areas, and it will go on increasing. We cannot have our cake and cream too, much as we desire. There is no free lunch!
Already gas shortages have enhanced the misery of load shedding, with no addition to our power generating capacity under way. May be we will be back to candle lit days! Hurricane lantern will be a luxury, given the price of kerosene. Meanwhile, the CTG will merrily dump the gigantic energy problems on the lap of the next government!
This government has done nothing in the power and energy sector, contrary to their big talks when they took power in their hands. They have only shown their authority by curtailing power supplies-- left, right and centre. After all, they have all the authority with no responsibility!
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