Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today said the government has already drawn up a 10-year plan to develop the country’s power and energy sectors, with some aspects now under review.
“We have already adopted a plan outlining what the government will do for the energy and power sectors over the next 10 years. Some examinations and reviews are underway,” he said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks while replying to a supplementary question from treasury bench member Md Mobasher Alam Bhuiyan (Cumilla-10) during the question-answer session in the Jatiya Sangsad.
He said, “The minister in charge of the Energy Ministry will soon present before Parliament and the country how we are trying to shape the power and energy sectors over the next 10 years, so that we can achieve our target of turning Bangladesh into a trillion-dollar economy by 2034.”
Responding to another supplementary question from opposition lawmaker Sabikun Nahar Munni about open-pit coal mining, the Prime Minister said the government wants to resolve the country’s energy crisis by giving priority to the interests of the people and the environment.
He said the coal deposit at Phulbari is among the highest-quality coal reserves in the world and that extracting it could help address the country’s energy shortage and save foreign currency.
“If open-pit mining is undertaken, naturally there are homes and agricultural land in the area. As we do politics for the country and its people, our first consideration will be how to resettle those people,” he said.
He said the government would also ensure that their livelihoods are not disrupted and that they could benefit from the project in some way.
“After reviewing all these issues, and giving due importance to environmental concerns, we will take any decision,” he added.
The session began at 3:30pm with Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram in the chair.
A 30-minute question-answer session was allocated for the Prime Minister, during which he answered four of the eight written questions and six supplementary questions.