The government has taken steps to clear outstanding dues to India’s Adani Power, said Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Advisor. 

He made the statement at a briefing held at the Foreign Service Academy on Sunday (Oct 3) evening.

Alam said that following the fall of the previous Awami League government, the flow of remittances into Bangladesh has increased, helping boost reserves and enabling international payments without relying on central reserves. 

"Our capacity to pay outstanding dues to Adani Power has strengthened, and we will continue to increase payment speed," he said.

Confirming the dues, he said, for this backlog former Awami League administration is responsible, which left behind substantial unpaid bills. 

At this time he said, last month, Bangladesh paid $9.7 million to Adani Power—double the amount paid in August. 

Alam further said that about $700 million remains unpaid but assured it would be cleared in due time without straining the country’s reserves.

Addressing reports from Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) that alleged the Awami League government oversaw an annual outflow of $16–18 billion in foreign remittances, Alam said, "A culture of financial misappropriation was rampant in the previous government. Our administration is now actively working to recover these funds, with a high-level committee established to assess the extent of capital flight."

Also present at the briefing were Deputy Press Secretaries to the Chief Advisor, Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad Mojumder and Apurba Jahangir.

According to a report by India’s Times of India, Adani Power recently warned that it would halt electricity supply to Bangladesh if dues totaling $850 million are not cleared by November 7.

BDST: 2052 HRS, NOV 03, 2024
MSK