Plan to recast boards of power cos to remove anomalies

FE Team | Published: July 05, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

M Azizur Rahman
The government is mulling over a plan to recast governing board of the state-owned power and energy companies aiming to remove anomalies and corruption in those entities.
Secretaries of both Power Division and the Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) under the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources (MPEMR) might lose their chairmanships in the power and energy companies, if the measure is taken.
Energy and Power Adviser Tapan Chowdhury Wednesday disclosed this plan to the newsmen at his office in the Secretariat.
Spelling out the proposed plan he said senior government officials from different ministries and representatives of private sector might be appointed chairman or member in the board of directors of the country's state-run energy and power companies along with the top officials of the concerned entities.
Besides, retired government officials and experts could also be inducted in the board as chairman or member under the proposed plan.
Under the plan a person will not hold key position in more than one board of the power and energy companies.
Currently, the secretary of Power Division holds the post of chairman in the boards of six companies out of the total seven state-run power companies, while the EMRD secretary is the chairman in more than five energy companies.
"I have already placed the proposed plan to the chief adviser for a final nod," Tapan Chowdhury said.
This measure will be taken to remove the conflict of interests in the boards of the power and energy companies, he added.
Sources said the power sector has been identified as one of the most corrupt sectors by the caretaker government.
Two former state ministers of the Power Division - Iqbal Hasan Mahmood and Rafiqul Islam - and one former secretary - ANH Akhter Hossain - are in custody due to their alleged corruption.
Former Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina, who was also the MPEMR minister during her tenure, is now facing three cases filed for her alleged involvement in corruption in power sector.