Dhaka, Sept. 18 -- THE government has extended the tenure of a law by voice vote in Parliament that allows rental power plants to operate for another five years up to 2026. The law originally enacted in 2010 with impunity to allow unsolicited power plants citing acute power shortage and the need for quick power generation avoiding competitive tenders. Amid protests from opposition lawmakers, the bill to extend the law was passed on Thursday citing the ground that it is needed for ensuring reliable, uninterrupted and affordable electricity across the country.

We must say this is a funny and contradictory argument because the government in March this year had decided to immediately shutdown 16 quick and rental power plants to lessen the ex...