Govt urged to cancel Rampal power project

The National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports yesterday urged the government to cancel within its tenure the 1,320MW coal-fired Rampal power plant's construction in Bagerhat, around 15 kilometres from the Sundarbans.
The plant would turn out to be catastrophic for the ecological balance of the world's largest mangrove forest and leave people there vulnerable to natural disasters, the committee leaders told a rally before the capital's Jatiya Press Club.
“The power plant will be a black chapter in Bangladesh's history. Since the government started it, stopping it is their responsibility,” said the committee Member Secretary Prof Anu Mohammad.
Had political parties prioritised the nation's interests, they would have never planned any such project, he said.
The committee Convener Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah said measuring the project-induced losses in monetary terms was impossible.
“People and institutions involved in the project would make crores, but the nation should not bear the brunt of their greed and lose its valuable assets,” he said.
Other leaders including Ruhin Hossain Prince, Saiful Huq, Bajlur Rashid Feroz, Shudhangshu Chakrabarti and Zonayed Saki were present. Bangladesh and India inked the project deal on April 20.