Dhaka, May 2025 — As anti-India sentiment continues to intensify under the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, India has begun taking a series of retaliatory economic measures against Bangladesh. These steps are placing significant strain on the country’s economic stability, with the latest flashpoint involving a massive unpaid electricity bill to Adani Power.
Adani Power CEO S.B. Khyalya raised the issue during a courtesy meeting on Thursday with Bangladesh’s Power Division Secretary Farzana Mamtaz at the Secretariat. According to Khyalya, Bangladesh has not paid for electricity supplied from Adani’s 1,600 MW power plant in Jharkhand for the past seven months. He claimed the outstanding dues now amount to nearly USD 900 million. However, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) estimates the arrears at under USD 700 million.
Also present at the meeting was M.R. Krishna Rao, head of Adani Power’s commercial division. The Adani officials emphasized that the company is under pressure from long-term bank loans and that delays in payment are exacerbating its financial difficulties.
Khyalya referred to a proposal submitted in January, stating that if the arrears are cleared by June, the company may waive approximately USD 50 million in late fees. However, he expressed dissatisfaction that PDB has yet to formally respond to the proposal.
In response, Power Secretary Farzana Mamtaz described the meeting as merely a “courtesy visit” and clarified that no formal decision was taken. “We are making payments gradually, but there are policy limitations to clearing the full amount at once,” she said.
Sources within the Power Division indicated that a further meeting may be convened soon to renegotiate the arrears. Earlier the same day, the Adani delegation also met with PDB Chairman Rezaul Karim to discuss the matter.
Meanwhile, sources have revealed that a high-level committee of the current interim government is reviewing the original power purchase agreement signed with Adani during the tenure of the previous Awami League government. The review aims to determine whether national interests were adequately safeguarded in the deal.
The growing rift with India and the mounting financial obligations are adding new layers of complexity to Bangladesh’s already fragile economic and political landscape.