The government has been urged to redirect subsidy to the community-controlled renewable energy sources instead of fossil fuel projects.
Speakers made the appeal while addressing a human chain in front of the National Press Club organised by 13 rights-based organisations in the city on Thursday, reports UNB.
A vast subsidy-based fossil fuel projects are mainly responsible for carbon emission and threatening the existence of the world, they said.
The 13 organisations are–Online Knowledge Society, Unnayan Dhara Trust, LRC, Asow Foundation, Community Development Partnership, CLEAN, Nobodahara Bangladesh, Bangladesh Adivasi Somity, Bangladesh Kishani Shova, Bangladesh Krishok Federation, Bangladesh Bumihin Somity, Bangladesh Jatiya Sromik Jote, BAFLF, and VOICE– formed the human chain as a part of the global week of action titled ‘Reclaim Power’.
Mr Mustafa Kamal Akanda of EquityBD moderated the address session of the human chain, while the other speakers were Dr Mejbah Uddin Ahmed of Jatiya Sromik Jote, Badurl Alam of Bangladesh Krishok Federation, Prodip Kumar Roy of Online Knowledge Society and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD.
Dr Mejbah Uddin Ahmed of Jatiya Sromik Jote said that the government is becoming more and more dependent on foreign companies for generating electricity and they are using dirty energy, which, in fact, is a clear threat to the existence of this earth.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury of EquityBD alleged that government in fact is promoting new group of rich elite class by providing public subsidy to promote fossil fuel based private companies.
“But there are examples in the rural areas people already started using solar and renewable energy without any government subsidy. The government must redirect subsidy to those renewable energy sources,” he said.
News Source: 17 October 2014, The Financial Express