Budgetary allocation needed for alternative energy research

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We know that Bangladesh is a country that depends on import to meet the demand for medicines, textiles, machinery, oil and other products. A huge amount of foreign currencies is spent for such import every year. But how long do we have to depend on imported goods for meeting our domestic demands and why can we not take steps to increase the volume of exports instead of increasing imports?
Our electricity depends mostly on oil imported from foreign countries. Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) has a plan to set up 18 more diesel and furnace oil based power plants to generate an additional 1360 megawatts of electricity. To run these power plants, it would require to import additional 1.02 million tonnes of fuel, in addition to the volume of current import. There is no doubt we need to set up more power plants to meet the demand for electricity. But should we not set up the power plants based on our own resources to save our hard earned foreign currencies?
There should be a provision in our national budget for research in alternative energy. Government may give subsidy to power plants based on our natural resources so that it can reduce dependency on other countries.
Oil and fuel discovered in Horipur under Sylhet district in 1986 made us hopeful. Exploration began in 1987 but unfortunately it was stopped in 1994. No step has yet been taken for resuming the exploration. We should concentrate on research for discovering our natural resources and make the best use of it.

Abu Taher
Flat-B-7, Elegant Tower
72 Elephant Road, Dhaka
Mob: 01817003397