Leader of the Opposition Shafiqur Rahman on Thursday proposed five MPs from his side for a 10-member joint committee aimed at working with the government to find solutions to the country’s ongoing energy problem.
He announced the names in Parliament, hours after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman proposed forming the committee and requested the opposition to nominate five members.
From the opposition, the five proposed members are Jamaat lawmakers Md Saiful Alam (Dhaka-12), Md Nurul Islam (Chapainawabganj-3) and Md Abdul Baten (Dhaka-16), Md Abul Hasnat (Cumilla-4) and Khilafat Majlis lawmaker Mohammed Abul Hasan (Sylhet-5).
“Since five names from the government side have already been announced, I am also respectfully placing five names from the opposition side,” said Shafiqur Rahman.
Referring to the government’s decision to introduce a trial 110-megawatt loadshedding in Dhaka, he suggested that the implementation of this decision should start in Parliament Complex.
“I would request that this begins from Parliament as well. Parliament should not remain outside this load management system. If other parts of Dhaka face one hour of load-shedding, the same should apply here so people understand that we are trying to build a uniform system,” he said.
When the Speaker noted that loadshedding in Parliament would disrupt House proceedings, the Opposition Leader clarified that he meant the Parliament complex, not the ongoing session.
Earlier in the afternoon, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman proposed in Parliament the formation of a 10-member joint committee, seeking five names from the opposition to work together on ‘rational solutions’ to the country’s ongoing energy problem in the national interest.
The proposed committee will be headed by Power and Energy Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku and include five members each from the treasury and opposition benches.
“We have decided to form a five-member committee from our side. I request the Leader of the Opposition to provide five names so that the 10-member committee can sit together and discuss the issues,” the Prime Minister told the House.
He said the government will seriously consider any recommendations made by the committee and will take effective steps to implement them if they were found to be feasible.
Referring to a proposal raised by the Opposition Leader a day earlier, the Prime Minister said both sides agreed to work together to solve the country’s ongoing situation.
From the government side, the five members proposed by the Prime Minister are Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku, State Minister Anindya Islam Amit, and MPs ABM Ashraf Uddin Nizan (Laxmipur-4), Moinul Islam Khan (Manikganj-2 and Miah Nuruddin Ahmad Apu (Shariatpur-3).