Senior lawyer of the Supreme Court and member of the central working council of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir, has criticised the government's decision taken last night, Sunday (20 September).
He raised the question why the government published the gazette at night without following the legal process for increasing oil prices.
He raised this question in a post on his verified Facebook account on social media on Monday (21 September).
In the Facebook post, Advocate Mohammad Shishir Monir wrote, “There is a legal process regarding the increase in oil prices. There is a provision for public hearing. Why did you not do those? Why did you suddenly have to issue a gazette at night? Who gives you all this Tughlaqi advice?”
Earlier, in a notification published yesterday (Sunday) by the Energy Division, it was said that on 18 April the government increased the price of diesel by Tk 15 per litre to Tk 115. Despite abnormal price increases in the international market, oil prices in the country were kept unchanged for the past five months. Fuel oil prices in neighbouring countries are much higher than in Bangladesh. The price of kerosene per litre has been increased from Tk 135 to Tk 155, the price of petrol from Tk 140 to Tk 160, and the price of octane from Tk 145 to Tk 165.
On the other hand, the Energy Division says that due to the ongoing war in the Middle East, the prices of all types of fuel oil and freight charges in the international market have increased significantly since March, and this is still continuing. However, even though fuel oil prices in the international market have more than doubled, the government did not increase prices in the country in the public interest. As a result, from last March to August, BPC incurred a loss of about Tk 22,875 crore 66 lakh.
