Scrap Rampal project
Nat'l Committee to Protect the Sundarbans reiterates its demand at rally in Khulna
The National Committee to Protect the Sundarbans yesterday reiterated its demand for scrapping Rampal Power Plant project near the mangrove forest.
From a rally at Shahid Hadis Park in Khulna, the Committee also called upon the government to stop campaigning for the “controversial project”. People from the nearby districts gathered at the venue holding placards and banners inscribing different anti-Rampal slogans.
Professor Anu Muhammad, secretary general of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports, said there are many alternative ways to generate electricity, but there is no alternative to the Sundarbans.
Hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis depend directly on the Sundarbans, said Prof Anu, adding, the forest also provides a vital buffer against the cyclones that routinely hit this part of the world.
The government always gives false information about the Rampal project, alleges Anu, asking the government not to build power plants near the Sundarbans.
Professor Tanjimuddin Khan of Dhaka University said the coal plants alone will take 219,600 cubic metres of water every day from the Passur river, which will contribute to salinity and change the temperature of the river water.
Sarder Ruhin Hossain Prince of Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Saiful Huq of Biplobi Workers Party, Shuvrangshu Chakrabarty of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal (Marxist), Bazlur Rashid Feroj of BSD, Azizur Rahman of Biplobi Communist Party, Zonayed Saki of Ganoshanghati Andolon, spoke. CPB leader Manoj Das presided over the rally.
One Biren Sarker of Tala upazila under Satkhira died of cardiac arrest on his way to join the rally.
From the rally, the committee announced that it would hold protest programmes in the districts adjacent to the Sundarbans from April 25 to June 25. On July 25, a human chain will be formed from Shamnagar upazila of Shatkhira district to Sharonkhola upazila of Bagerhat district.
In 2009, Bangladesh and India signed a deal to set up two power plants in Shapmari and Katakhali, nine kilometres away from the Sundarbans.
A total of 1,834 acres of land has already been acquired for the power plants with a capacity of 1,320 megawatt of electricity.
Despite the government's assurance that the plant would not harm the Sundarbans, the Unesco remains firm against the project and on October 20 again requested the government to cancel and relocate it to a more suitable place.