Advisor Directs Pay Cut for Payra Thermal Power Plant Officials

Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Advisor to the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, has ordered a reduction in the salaries of senior officials at the Payra Thermal Power Plant in Patuakhali. The decision follows a recent Prothom Alo report titled “Questions arise over triple salaries at Payra power plant,” which revealed that top officials of the Bangladesh China Power Company Limited (BCPCL)—the joint venture operating the plant—were receiving unusually high salaries. In a directive issued Wednesday, the Power Division instructed BCPCL to promptly report on steps taken to adjust the pay structure of its top management, including the Managing Director (Grade-1) and Grade-2 officers, in line with Government Unified Service Rules.

The letter also pointed out that despite being part of a joint venture, BCPCL is still expected to comply with the government’s salary guidelines. It criticized the company for not responding to an earlier directive issued on 17 November last year, which had called for revisions based on a committee’s recommendations set up under the advisor’s instructions. Initially, the plant followed the standard government pay scale when it was commissioned in 2016. However, in a 2019 board meeting, significant salary hikes for top executives were approved, taking effect in 2020.

As per the revised structure, the basic salary of the Managing Director increased from Tk 175,000 to Tk 700,000, with the total monthly compensation including allowances rising to about Tk 1.5 million. Grade-2 officials saw their basic pay raised from Tk 149,000 to Tk 450,000, with a total package nearing Tk 900,000. Meanwhile, middle-level officers received minimal increases, and no adjustments were made for lower-level employees.

The Payra Power Plant, one of Bangladesh’s largest power projects, was built at a cost of Tk 200 billion. Its first 660MW unit began operations on 13 January 2020, followed by the second unit on 26 August the same year. Since becoming operational, the plant has earned over Tk 130 billion in capacity charges.