General employees of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) have issued a 24-hour ultimatum demanding the immediate resignation of the commission's chairman and members.
The ultimatum, issued during a meeting of the general employees on Tuesday, warns that if the resignations are not submitted by 5pm on Wednesday, a non-cooperation movement will be initiated.
Sources within BERC revealed that officers and employees had voiced their concerns for several days, with assurances given that their grievances would be addressed by Sunday.
One of the major points of contention is the discontinuation of certain benefits. While employees in power companies receive a certain amount of free electricity, BERC employees previously received a monthly energy allowance of Tk 2,500, which was discontinued after the current commission took charge in 2023.
Additionally, BERC officials and employees have raised several key issues, leading to serious allegations against the current commission.
They claimed that the current commission is overly compliant with the previous Awami League government and that the appointments of the chairman and members were not made in a lawful manner.
According to the employees, BERC's reputation has been tarnished due to its subservience to government directives, often issuing orders favouring companies.
Responding to their demand, BERC Member (power) Abul Khair Md Aminur Rahman said, "I am not yet aware of the resignation ultimatum. I heard that they were demanding the chairman's resignation. If they now want my resignation, the authorities will look into it."
Member Md Helal Uddin also expressed his unawareness of the situation, saying, "I am not aware of this issue yet, so I don't want to comment on it."
However, Chairman Nurul Amin has been absent from the office since Monday, having taken three days of leave and no immediate comment has been obtained from him regarding the situation.
Earlier, significant changes to the ‘BERC Act 2023’ dramatically altered the commission's role, granting the government exclusive authority to set electricity and energy prices, effectively rendering BERC largely ineffective.
Experts have raised concerns that without making BERC an independent and robust institution, public rights in the energy sector cannot be properly protected.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission was established in 2003 and became operational in 2009, with a mandate to ensure transparency, accountability, and the rational pricing of petroleum products within the country’s power and energy sectors.
