CAB for setting fuel price with public hearing

The Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) has called for setting the prices of fuel oils including diesel and kerosene with a public hearing.

"Otherwise, we will move to the High Court," CAB's Senior Vice President Professor M Shamsul Alam said at a Monday online press conference on "Demands Not to Increase Price of Fuel Oils Again Illegally".

"Prior to hiking prices, if the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) places its price hike proposal before the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), then we (consumers) can give our opinion whether it is logical or not," he said. 

Without doing so, they are going to raise the prices of fuel oils on the grounds of a Tk100 Cr loss to the company, instead of placing their proposal with BERC.

Shamsul Alam also said, "We are opposing the energy division and BPC's efforts to raise fuel prices illegally. We urge and insist fuel prices be raised in a legal way with a public hearing."  

In reply to a query, he said, "At first, we will move to the departments concerned for administrative solutions.  If they do not pay heed to our demands, then we will move to the courts."

He said an anarchic situation is being created in the energy sector thanks to the existence of bureaucratic power in running energy-related public companies like BPC and Petrobangla.

"It is our ethical responsibility to free these energy-related public companies from bureaucratic power," he added. 

Former professor of Geography at Dhaka University, Badrul Imam, Economics Department Professor MM Akash, CAB's Consumers' Complaints Settlement National Committee Convener, Architect Mobasher Hossain, and General Secretary of CAB, Advocate Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan, were also present.