Welcome addition to power grid

THE inauguration of the Bangladesh-India Power Transmission Centre in Bheramara marks a major milestone for Bangladesh. Not only is it a step forward in overcoming the country's electricity crunch with its daily transmission capacity of 500 megawatt (MW), but it is another strengthening link between Bangladesh and India, the first South Asian countries to be trading electricity.
The unveiling of the foundation plaque of the Rampal power plant project at the same time, however, has been met with some scepticism. The coal-fired plant, 14km off the Sundarbans, may, environmentalists reckon, spell degradation for the world's largest mangrove forest, which is a form of protection against cyclones as well as a habitat for flora and fauna. The PM, however, has disregarded these concerns, asserting that the plant will not cause any harm to the Sundarbans or its inhabitants. We found disquieting the PM's trivialising of ecological issues and believe she should have taken into consideration the valid concerns of environmentalists instead of mockingly dismissing them. We found the Indian PM's advice to the concerned authorities on maintaining 'the highest standard of environmental safety in implementing the project' to be more appropriate -- one would have expected our PM to have taken a similar approach. Their commitments are crucial in putting required safeguards in place to ward off environmental damage.
The possible ecological hazards of the project must be squarely addressed and precautions taken before any disastrous consequences occur. Granted, increased production of power is an accomplishment, but surely not at the cost of environmental balance.