Firm faces penalty if Spanish nationals don't rejoin work

If the 43 Spanish nationals do not rejoin construction work of the 335MW power plant in Siddhirganj by November 5, the company concerned would be penalised, said State Minster for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu yesterday.

On October 7, the Spanish nationals working for power plant construction company Isolux were withdrawn from the project on security grounds following the murders of two foreigners in the country.

This halted construction work. 

"Nothing happened in the country for which the foreigners have to leave for security reasons," Bipu said, adding that some local political parties and some other countries were plotting to hinder the development of Bangladesh. 

At a programme organised to set the foundation stone for the Zonal Office of 

Narayanganj Palli Bidyut Samity-2 at Araihazar upazila, the state minister said engineers from other countries were working in projects in Bangladesh and that they do not raise questions about security.

Even diplomats in Dhaka, including those from Spain, said the security situation in the country was normal, he claimed. 

Foreign nationals in the country had expressed their security concerns following the killing of Italian Aid worker Cesare Tavella on September 28 and Japanese national Hoshi Kunio on October 3.

Additional security measures were taken by law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of foreigners working in Bangladesh.