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State Minister for Planning Md. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki
State Minister for Planning Md. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki has asserted that the ongoing power and fuel crisis is not a creation of the current administration, but rather the direct fallout of the fallen autocratic regime's heavily import-dependent energy framework.
Addressing a seminar on the conceptual frameworks for an alternative Dhaka-Cumilla Highway and the Kotbari AHK Satellite City as the chief guest at Cumilla Town Hall on August 28, the state minister highlighted the strategic vulnerabilities inherited by the nation. Elaborating on the origins of the prevailing supply disruptions, State Minister Md. Zonayed Abdur Rahim Saki stated:
"The fuel crisis is not a problem created by the current government; rather, today's predicament is the direct result of the fallen fascist regime's import-reliant electricity and energy policies."
The state minister pointed out that global geopolitical turmoil, particularly maritime transit disruptions across the Strait of Hormuz stemming from the Middle East conflict, has exacerbated international supply chains. He revealed that sharp spikes in international fuel prices forced the state to incur an additional expenditure of Tk 40,000 crore, creating immense fiscal pressure alongside acute gas shortages.
Saki reaffirmed that the interim administration is actively pursuing medium-term initiatives to restore energy security, including ramping up domestic gas exploration, expanding renewable energy infrastructure, building fuel reserves, and establishing manual transit modalities to extract discovered gas reserves from Bhola, with tangible outcomes anticipated within the next year to eighteen months. Reflecting on national responsibilities, he noted that the administration owes a profound debt to the martyrs and wounded fighters of the mass uprising to establish a truly democratic and systematically planned development paradigm.
Presenting the keynote paper, Member of Parliament for Cumilla-6 (Sadar) Monirul Haque Chowdhury emphasized the urgent need for an alternative highway to decongest the Dhaka-Chattogram corridor and stimulate agro-industrial expansion across neglected northern areas of Cumilla. Presided over by Cumilla Development Authority Chairman Udbatul Bari Abu, the seminar was also addressed by Bridges Division Secretary Mohammad Abdur Rouf, Cumilla South District BNP General Secretary Ashiqur Rahman Mahmud Wasim, and Senior Vice President Amiruzzaman Amir.
