The Awami League government has signed over a hundred agreements in the country’s power and energy sector through special provisions, the majority of which are related to the power sector. While the technical aspects of major power projects were formally decided by the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), everything was ultimately overseen from the Prime Minister’s Office.
Until the end of its tenure, the Awami League government under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina kept control of the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources for over 15 consecutive years. Despite the distribution of ministries after forming the government four times, she never let go of the power ministry, which was of both technical and economic significance. Major projects like Adani, Rampal, and Matarbari were approved in a monopolistic manner, with no opportunity for the public to be informed about these agreements.
Sources say that the former government managed technical ministries like power through its preferred officials. Project approvals were done in favor of their own interests. This allowed for widespread corruption and irregularities, leading to the diversion of thousands of crores from the electricity sector. As a result, while huge amounts of debt piled up in the sector, these deficits were passed on to consumers through higher electricity prices.
B D Rahmatullah, who held responsibilities under various companies or agencies in the electricity sector, especially those under BPDB—such as the Dhaka Electric Supply Company, Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), and the Power Cell (the electricity policy and research agency)—told Bonik Barta, “The power sector deals with large projects involving massive funds. Given this, top government leadership never wanted to lose control over this ministry. To pass various agreements, the previous government appointed its preferred secretaries. They even managed boards of various companies under the power division as chairmen. They approved projects that came with substantial commission trade. These are the reasons why this ministry was so important.”
The BNP has stated that all power sector agreements made during the Awami League government will be reviewed if they come to power. At a press conference last Thursday at BNP Chairperson’s office in Gulshan, the party highlighted corruption, theft, and criminal activities in the power sector. They also urged the interim government to publicly disclose all agreements made in this sector.
Asked about this, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told Bonik Barta, “The entire ministry was kept under Sheikh Hasina’s control so she could take all the commissions from the corruption, theft, and irregularities in this sector. The main goal was to increase corruption and further indebt Bangladesh through these projects.”
When asked about BNP’s stance on keeping such an important ministry under the Prime Minister in the future, Mirza Fakhrul said, “It will depend on the decisions we make. It is not necessarily a problem if the Prime Minister holds this position. What’s more important is whether there’s an intention to steal or be corrupt. We will not engage in corruption. We will definitely ensure that such corruption does not happen.”
Two former and current officials of the electricity department spoke to Bonik Barta about the agreements made in the power sector in recent years. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, they shared that through special laws, the Awami League government awarded projects to their preferred individuals in the power sector. Large commissions were taken from these projects. While the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) provided technical opinions on the agreements, these were often not given much priority. Instead, files were repeatedly sent back from the top levels of government for revisions according to their own preferences. These agreements were amended to suit the government and the companies involved. In most cases, decisions coming from the top levels were implemented.
The country’s energy sector remained under the control of Prime Ministers for nearly three decades. During the tenure of the Awami League government, Sheikh Hasina served as the Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources for more than 15 consecutive years, from January 2009 to August 5 of 2024. She did not delegate the ministry’s leadership to anyone but worked with two state ministers during her tenure. Mohammad Enamul Haque served as the State Minister for the Ministry of Power from 2009 to November 2013. Nasrul Hamid Succeeded him and held the position continuously for over a decade. He served from 2014 until the fall of the Awami League government. During this period, secretaries such as Ahmad Kaikaus and Abul Kalam Azad also played significant roles in the ministry. Both later served as Principal Secretaries to the Prime Minister for extended periods. Allegations have surfaced regarding their involvement in large-scale power sector projects, facilitating contracts for favored companies, commission trading, and irregularities in procurement. Reports claim that through questionable contracts, substantial amounts of money were misappropriated under the guise of project implementation.
The Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, which is crucial and technical, was not always under the control of the Prime Minister just during the Awami League government. Before that, when the BNP came to power in 1991, former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was also the Minister of this ministry. She held the position from March to September 1991. After that, Dr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, a current member of BNP's Standing Committee, took over the ministry and held it until March 19, 1996. Later, Oli Ahmad Bir Bikram became the minister for a short time.
In 1996, during the caretaker government, the late Dr. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, a professor at BUET, served as the advisor to the Ministry of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources. After that, when the Awami League formed the government, Lieutenant General (Retd) Nuruddin Khan took on the ministerial role. He served until March 29, 1998. Following this, no one took the full ministerial position until the caretaker government came into power. During that time, Professor Rafiqul Islam served as the Deputy Minister.
In 2001, during the caretaker government, the ministry was headed by AKM Amanul Islam Chowdhury as an adviser. Later, when BNP came back into power, they did not appoint a minister for the ministry. Most of the time, Iqbal Hasan Mahmud served as the Deputy Minister. In the last four months of the BNP government, Anwarul Kabir Talukdar took over as Deputy Minister.
In 2006, after the army-backed caretaker government took power, three advisers were appointed to the ministry: Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, Mohammad J Ruhul Amin Chowdhury, and Tapan Chowdhury. Then, in 2009, after the Awami League came to power, party leader Sheikh Hasina became the Minister of Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources. She remained in the role until her government was overthrown through the recent student-led mass uprising.
Interestingly, while the Ministry of Power has been under the control of the Prime Minister in Bangladesh for a long time, such pattern is not seen in neighboring countries. Currently, in India, the Minister of Power is Manohar Lal Khattar; in Nepal, the Minister of Energy is Deepak Khadka; in Bhutan, the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources is Lyonpo Gem Tshering; and in Pakistan, the Minister of Power is Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari.
Iqbal Hasan Mahmud, BNP’s former Deputy Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources, told Bonik Barta, “The public has the right to know what has happened with the contracts made during the previous Awami League government in the power sector. The indemnity law has been repealed. Now, it is the responsibility of the current government to disclose these contracts to the public. We have stated that if BNP comes to power, these contracts will be reviewed, and the public will know what really happened.”
When asked whether the Ministry of Power, which was under the control of the Prime Minister during the previous government, would be managed by technical and experienced personnel in the future, BNP leader Iqbal Hasan Mahmud responded, “While the power sector is technical, it's not rocket science that only technical experts can manage it. In fact, anyone can take charge if transparency and accountability are ensured.”
Experts, however, believe that the power sector requires skilled leadership, someone who has a thorough understanding of the field. Specifically, someone who can handle contracts in this sector, protect consumers’ rights, and ensure affordable electricity services should be in charge. This would not only accelerate the development of the sector but also strengthen its link with the economy.
Energy expert and BUET professor M Tamim told Bonik Barta, “Managing the power sector always requires experienced and skilled leadership. If such a person cannot be found, a minister may be appointed from the technocrat quota. The main goal should be to provide affordable and low-cost electricity to the public. In our country, for the past three decades, the Prime Minister herself has managed this ministry. However, in neighboring countries like India, Nepal, Bhutan, and even Pakistan, the Prime Minister has not led such ministries. Instead, experienced leaders, often from defense or other sectors, have taken charge.”