Power tariff hike will increase sufferings

The price of electricity has been raised several times over the past few years and it has already created a stiff burden on the budget of people. The power tariff should not be raised now as it will have effect on the prices of commodities. The government should bring transparency and accountability missing in this important sector instead of increasing price of power and imposing a burden on common people.

The power sector of our country is poorly managed and full of anomalies. We lack long-term planning. We have many problems in our power sector, including corruption in administration, high system losses, and delays in completion of new plants. There are also lack of plant efficiency, random electricity theft, and shortage of funds for power plant maintenance which we cannot overlook. Our country's power generation plants have been unable to meet the rising demand over the past decades.  

No matter how many times power tariff is increased, the problem will not be solved if the root causes are not addressed. The government should bring dynamism in the power sector leadership and bring efficient, capable and honest people at its helm.

Roksana Sultana

Uttara, Dhaka