Nat’l committee announces demos against Rampal project

National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports on Saturday announced series of agitation programmes to compel the government to drop the Rampal coal-based thermal power plant in Bagerhat.
Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the organisation, at a press conference at Communist Party of Bangladesh, central office, announced the programmes that include holding countrywide demonstrations on July 18, marches in the capital from July 19 to 25 and another march towards the prime minister’s office on July 28 starting from in front of National Press Club at 11:00am.
Announcing the programmes, Anu Muhammad said that the national committee would continue to toughen its agitation until the government scrapped the power plant project as it would destroy the Sunderbans, the biggest and rare mangrove forest of the world.
He also said that the people of the country would not accept any project that would be harmful for the Sunderbans.
He called on the government to hold a referendum to take opinion of the people about the power plant and he was sure most of the people would reject it.
Terming the agreement signed in Dhaka on July 12 between two companies controlled by National Thermal Power Company of India as controversial and against the national interests, he called on the government to cancel the deal.
Kallol Mustafa, a leader of the committee, presented a power point show on the negative impacts of the power plant on the Sunderbans and the ecology of the area.
Leaders of the national committee Hader Akbar Khan Rano, Dhaka University teacher Moshahida Sultana, Abdus Salam, Saiful Huq, Moshrraf Hossain Nannu, Abdus Satter, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Jahangir Alam Fazlu, Shahidul Islam Sabuj, Khan Asaduzzaman Masum and others attended the press conference.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net