Dhaka: The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has urged the government to ensure adequate gas and power supplies to industries for accelerating the country’s industrialisation process.

‘The government has already taken a number of positive initiatives to meet the power demand of industrial sector, and we’re getting benefit. But, industries and factories are unable to go on full operation for lack of their required power and gas,’ FBCCI president Abdul Matlub Ahmad told a press conference at its office in the capital on Wednesday.

For lack of adequate power supply, he said, many industries are being run through using captive power generated by their own management, which only increases the production cost.

The FBCCI president said there is no alternative to ensuring smooth and uninterrupted power and gas supplies to industries in order to continue the existing production and promote investment.

Abdul Matlub said a large number of industries, including that of textile and garments, have been set up in the country in the last couple of years and the gas transmission and distribution companies have already issued ‘demand notes’ against the industries to provide gas connections.

‘But, gas connections are yet to be given to those industries,’ he said, urging the authorities concerned to give gas connections to those industries within the next 15 months.

The FBCCI president suggested taking steps to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the export-oriented garment and textile industries on priority basis.

President of the International Chambers of Commerce, Bangladesh (ICCB) president Mahbubur Rahman, FBCCI vice president Mahbubul Alam and former FBCCI presidents Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed and AK Azad were present at the press conference.