Govt has no logic for Rampal project: Nat’l Committee

Leaders of National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports on Saturday called on the government to refrain from making false and confusing statements regarding the coal-based Rampal Thermal Power Plant project in Bagerhat.
The government and the officials of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company were claiming that the power plant would not be harmful for the Sunderbans, the biggest mangrove forest of the world, they said at a discussion meeting held at Communist Party of Bangladesh central office in the capital.
Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the national committee, said the government had failed to give arguments in favour of the plant and was now making false and confusing statements about the project.
He called on the hired experts of different companies to refrain from false and controversial statements on the power plant.
The people of the Sunderbans area and across the country were convinced that the Rampal Power Plant would harm the forest and the nature, Anu said.
The national committee will hold a daylong sit-in at Central Shaheed Minar on August 20 and will announce tougher movement prorgammes to compel the government to cancel the project, Anu added.
Academics Nur Mohammad, also a leader of the national committee, said that the many countries, including India, in the world were dropping power plants to save the nature while the government here was implementing a project which would destroy the Sunderbans.
Dhaka University teacher Mohammad Tanzimuddin Khan said that using high power technologies the negative effects of the project would not be avoided but could be reduced.
Academics Kollol Mostafa said the using of super technologies in the plant would also increase the expenditures of the project and the price of electricity would also increase.
Another DU teacher Moshahida Sultana called on the government to formulate a guideline to save the Sunderbans.
Ruhin Hossain Prince, central leader of the CPB, who conducted the programme, said that the government was applying forces for implementing the controversial plant at Rampal.
Chaired by Anu Muhammad, academics Mahbub Suman, Maha Mirza, politicians Abdus Satter, Jahedul Haque Milu, Firoz Ahmed, Jahangir Alam Fazlu, Shahidul Islam Sabuj, Mohinuddin Chowdhury and others took part in the discussion.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net