Costly quick rental power plants to roll 4 yrs more

The costly electricity production in the rental plants will continue for four more years as the government cleared the way Monday for amending the law to allow a second extension for the deals with the independent power producers.         
Officials said the cabinet approved the draft 'Power and Energy Quick Supply (special provision) (Amendment) Act 2014 to make provision for giving four-year extension to the tenure of the law in a bid to ensure uninterrupted power and energy supply in the country.
"The cabinet decided to extend the law for four more years to ensure supply of power and energy keeping pace with an increasing demand in the country," Cabinet Secretary Muhammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the media after the approval was given at regular weekly cabinet meeting at Bangladesh Secretariat.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the meeting in the cabinet division.  
Mr Musharraf Bhuiyan mentioned that the present government enacted the Power and Energy Quick Supply (special provision) Act in 2010, which provides for immunity of the authorities from being asked any question about unsolicited deals for quick-fire action in electricity generation to meet a growing demand.
It was then extended for two years in 2012.  And now the government decided for the extension of the law for more four years since its tenure will expire in October next.
Under the law, all types of power and energy projects, including the import of natural gas, coal, liquefied natural gas and petroleum products, as well as the extraction of mineral resources, can be implemented quickly -- without going through the usual tendering process.
Electricity generation, transmission and distribution projects are also covered under the new legislation.
The legislation states that any activity which comes under its purview, or any official or employee who implements such activities, cannot be subject to any legal challenge in court.
The government has already approved and implemented a number of power and energy projects under the law, which include the setting up of oil-fired quick-rental power plants, awarding deal to Russian Gazprom to drill 10 onshore gas wells and installing three major gas-transmission pipeline projects, a senior energy ministry official said.
The government has also planned to award the project for building the country's first LNG-import terminal to the US consortium Excelerate and Astra Oil under the law.
Besides, a number of power and energy projects are in the pipeline to be implemented under the law.
The cabinet also approved the draft 'Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council Act 2014', allowing revival of the Bangladesh Nursing Council Ordinance 1983.
The cabinet secretary said the ordinance, which was enacted during military regime, was declared illegal by the Supreme Court in 2010 in a bundle with other laws and ordinances made by the military rulers.
And following the court order the cabinet decided to make the law afresh to replace the defunct one.
He said the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) in consultation with other ministries and stakeholders brought necessary amendments to the previous law while placing it before the cabinet. The changes were aimed at making the law time-befitting.
As per the proposed law nursing and midwifery academic diploma- or degree-holders must take approval from the Bangladesh Nursing and Midwifery Council to take up their profession in this field. He said the secretary of the MoHFW would be the head of council. The council would have a seven-member executive body.
The heads of different departments and directorates and persons concerned having nursing and midwifery education background would also be members of the council.
The cabinet was apprised of the participation of a Bangladesh delegation, led by the commerce minister, in the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) Ministerial Council on July 24 last in Thimphu.
Also, another delegation led by the state minister for Science and Technology attended the first Joint Coordination Meeting on Ruppur Atomic Power Energy project from 22-23 July in Moscow.