Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today proposed forming a 10-member committee comprising lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties to work collectively in the national interest to find a “reasonable solution” to the ongoing energy crisis in the country.
 
The Prime Minister placed the proposal in the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) here this afternoon, saying that the committee will include an equal number of five members each from the government and the opposition sides.
 
Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad, Bir Bikram, was in the chair.
 
The Prime Minister announced names of five treasury bench lawmakers and called upon the opposition to provide five names from their side.
 
The Leader of the House said that the proposed committee would be headed by Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood.
 
Four other treasury bench lawmakers are: State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Aninda Islam Amit, ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan (Laxmipur-4), Moinul Islam Khan Shanto (Manikganj-2) and Miah Nuruddin Ahmad Apu (Shariatpur-3).
 
Tarique Rahman, also ruling BNP chairman, said that the opposition’s proposals and suggestions will be conveyed to the government through this committee.
 
“If there is something realistic there, the government will take initiatives to implement them,” he added.
 
Noting that the energy crisis is a global problem, the impact of which has been felt across the world, the Leader of the House said, “However, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) is always ready to engage in any discussion with anyone in the interest of the country and its people”.
 
In response, Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman welcomed the initiative and thanked the Prime Minister for taking the matter positively.
 
He said they would propose their nominated names soon.
 
“We hope the Jatiya Sangsad will be the centre for resolving national issues,” Dr Shafiqur Rahman said.
 
Earlier, on Wednesday, during a discussion on the energy situation in the House, Opposition Leader Dr Shafiqur Rahman proposed to sit with the government to find a solution.
 
He said that the opposition party had some suggestions while the government and the opposition can work together on those.